The Stanley Cup Playoffs are currently in full swing, with the Pittsburgh Penguins and San Jose Sharks face-off for a chance to be this year’s Stanley Cup Champions. In a potential seven-game series, emotions are at an all-time high and anything is possible. This uncertainty is enough to keep us on the edge of our seats regardless of which team we support. From the moment the puck drops, a rush of adrenaline overtakes our body all the way up until the last buzzer sounds.

So, what exactly happens to our mind and body during the most crucial moments that have and will come to define sports history?

The answer: A lot.

Monkey See, Monkey Do: The Brain On Watching Sports

The spectating brain is also a playing brain when it comes to sports. When we're watching sports, it feels as if we're actually playing in the game. We begin to place ourselves in the "athlete's shoes" thanks to mirror neurons primarily found in the right side of the brain. These cells allow us to reflect and connect to someone else’s movements without verbal communication.

“This phenomenon allows a feeling of connection, and community without verbal communication or the need to directly talk to the pro athlete who just won the World Series with a grand slam,” Dr. Jesse Hanson, clinical director of the Helix Healthcare Group, told Medical Daily.

Previous studies have found that when we see a familiar action, our mirror neurons activate and fire for exactly as long as the observed action. This is what allows us to instantly understand the action, its goal, and even the emotions linked to it. For example, if we're watching a strenuous action, mirror neurons will get excited, and lead to an increase in our heart and respiration rate.

In a 2008 study, researchers at the University of Rome recruited 10 professional basketball players; 10 expert watchers, including basketball journalists and coaches; and 10 students who never played basketball, to observe the influence mirror neurons had on motor skills — the precise movement of muscles with the intent to perform a specific action such as jumping or running.

More : http://lailamedia.com/watching-sports-affects-mind-body/

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