Playing sports (read: Being a fangirl) obviously benefits your physical health. But did you know that sports (read: following idol/s) can help your mental health? So says Daniel Wann a psychology professor at Murray State University in the US dan author of Sport Fans: The Psychology and Social Impact of Spectators.
His research found that avid sports fan (read: fangirl) have lower rates of depression and higher self-esteem than non-fans. The main reason? The “tribal” nature and the sense of belonging. Fans are part of a social network, and any network offers to support that helps to keep people mentally sound.
Cheering a team (read: idol/s) provides an emotional outlet, and when they win (read: perform/concert/show), fans can feel a similar joy to the athletes’ (read: idol/s) and a lingering positive feeling. Even following a losing team (read: becoming less popular idol/s) helps fans learn to cope and move on. So if people go on at you about being an sports-obsessed couch potato (read: idols-obsessed fangirl/groupies)...
tell them you’re doing it for your mental health!
Article taken from: Reader’s Digest March 2007
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