Researchers from University of Waterloo conducted a study that revealed that hockey Fanatics react differently during key moments of a hockey game compared to how a more occasional spectator takes things.
“The broad objective of the study was to examine to what extent brain activity, as captured by a brain imaging device, could differ between spectators who identify as a very committed fan of a sport, compared to the more occasional spectator,” said Professor Luke Potwark to Global News.
To conduct the study, the researchers found undergraduate students who were more committed or more occasional fans and made them look at a period of a hockey game from Europe in 2018 with a brain imaging apparatus attached to their heads.
“Once the participants are in our laboratory, they were equipped with functional brain imaging close to infrared spectroscopy,” said Potwarka.
“It is a non-invasive headband that goes just above the forehead. And what the device is doing is that it uses infrared light to detect blood flow in the medial prefrontal cortex.
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“Then we then monitored and collected data in real time while the participants were watching the first period, the 20 minutes of this 2018 European Hockey League match between Cardiff’s Devils and Nottingham Panthers.”
In a bit of a cruel touch, laboratory rats were subjected 20 minutes of aimless hockey, but the researchers did not look at the goals but rather other parts of the game.
“”Our research team has really focused on examining the answers at two key moments during a previously recorded European hockey game: mark chances and opportunities for offensive play, “said Potwark.
“We found that more committed and passionate hockey fans had much more activation in the brain regions which are responsible for the evaluation and judgment of social situations than more occasional viewers. And surprisingly, this trend was not observed to mark chances, so it was only offensive confrontation.”
Adrian Safati, a doctoral student at university, said it was also a chance to test functional spectroscopy close to infrared (FNIRS).
“This is a more applied use of this neuroimaging technology. So, in a way, it is proof of concept that we are able to detect physiological changes in the brain in response to key events during something like a sports match,” he said.
“And this could allow us, in the future, to try to understand different underlying mechanisms of attention and participation in viewers who look at sport.”
Potwarka noted that it was only proof of concept when they advance on a trip that could lead to a better understanding of fans’ commitment.
“”I think that the gain, practically speaking, is that we can have a better idea of what could really lead non -casual fans or what types of things that we could tell or disseminate or produce sports more engaging for the two public sets, “said the teacher.
“We can therefore (see) some ideas about what is really going on here and what people could bring viewers. Maybe there could be long-term implications to transform more occasional fans into longer term fans.”
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