Is Watching Football Good or Bad for Your Memory?

Football is unquestionably a massive part of people’s lives. Even if you don’t watch all year long, there’s a draw to watch big matches with a lot at stake. Watching these huge games is something that brings people and their communities together. Everyone has their own reasons for cheering for a specific team – they may follow the team their family has supported for years or switch allegiances when a star player trades in for a new uniform. Other folks played football growing up or continue to do so and can see a little bit of themselves in the players they idolize. There are so many reasons we tune in for a good football match! But the question remains, is watching football good or bad for your memory? 

The Non-Workout Brain Workout

Did you know just watching a sport can improve your mental capacity? And that people who discuss games show improved neural connections related to linguistic ability and comprehension? It’s true! Even as a mere spectator you enjoy the benefits of muscle nerve activity, increased memory because of social bonding, and mood improvement – all of which can help boost your memory powers.

In fact, watching a match alongside a television announcer’s play-by-play allows your brain to practice making connections between language and cognition – a key to great recall. Think about it. An announcer describes a certain play, and you see it enacted on the screen. Later, when discussing the play with friends or reading about it in the newspaper, your “mind’s eye” can paint the picture of the action just from the words. 

A Memory in Time

Truly memorable games, especially those of big tournaments, help guide our sense of time and contextualize our memories. We have an easier time remembering where we were and what we were doing when combined with these emotional “anchoring” events. According to Professor Alistair Burns, NHS’ clinical director for dementia, patients who re-watch classic games experience memory stimulation and overall brain activity boosts. Remembering the setting of how, when, and where you watched a game helps trigger surrounding memories, even those completely unrelated to football. 

Just as a boat anchor stops a boat from floating away, a memory anchor stops a memory from floating away. Our memories don’t exist in a vacuum. Whenever we acquire new bits of information, they need to be connected to something else we already know. If you know the year your favorite football team won the semifinals in double over time was the same year your niece was born, and you know they won that historic game in 1996, then you remember what age your niece is turning this year. 

Intense Game!?

A team of Princeton scientists found that dramatic games tap into a process in the brain that allows us to forge powerful memories. When a play surprises us, it interrupts the narrative flow of the game, and these memories tend to last longer than “expected” wins. So, the many surprises in football help us practice our brain’s ability to form memories. 

A Johns Hopkins University study explored this phenomenon in babies, noting how they use unexpectedness to help guide their awareness – specifically focusing on things which went against their expectations and caused surprise. The element of surprise is what made them learn the information better and caused a more thorough exploration of their environment. How closely do you pay attention to a game when the undefeated team wins just as everybody expected? Could you recall any details days later? What about when the underdog pulls off that surprise upset? Our brain favors novelty.

Boring Game?

Oftentimes when it feels like we are “vegging out” our brains are processing other memories in the background. So even slow games can be good for your memory!

If these slower games help you to catch a bit of downtime and zone out, it doesn’t mean your brain has totally checked out. Some regions of our brain get more active when we aren’t handling a whole bunch of new information. One of these areas of the brain is called the Default Mode Network and it plays an important role not just in helping us to form memories, but also our ethics, creativity, and sense of self. When we allow our minds to wander, like during that game that is STILL tied at zero, it can be very replenishing. 

Does Watching Football Spark Joy?

You learn more when you are happy. Research shows experiencing happiness before cognitive tasks greatly increases performance. If watching football makes you joyful, add to that joy by knowing it’s probably making your memory stronger too! Maybe even replay your favorite highlights before your next exam.

How will this help? Feelings of happiness create dopamine and serotonin. When these substances are released into the brain it has a positive effect on our memory and ability to learn. These chemicals increase the brain’s capacity to make connections and make them faster. This creates creativity and exceptional problem solving. So, yes, go ahead and watch those old plays that cause you to crack a smile! You’ll boost your mental powers in the process.

What’s your favorite football memory? Tell us on LinkedIn, Instagram or Twitter by sharing this article and tagging us!