The next time you hear someone talk about the triviality of sports, you can quote this story to them. The reality is, sports are very important to us. They capture our hearts, sometimes quite literally.
From ThePostGame:
If you’ve ever felt that your favorite team’s continual losing might actually be the end of you, you may be right.
With some Americans lamenting the results of this week’s election, Dr. Charles Raison of CNN cautions against feeling too strongly. Raison writes that multiple studies have shown that death rates spike in cities after their teams lose major sporting events.
“Most of the deaths are from sudden heart attacks and related cardiovascular events,” Raison notes, “suggesting that people get so upset when their side loses that it literally breaks their hearts.”
Raison also points to a Nov. 2010 study which suggests a link between fans’ stress, anxiety and anger and their cardiovascular health.
