Issue link: http://www.wacmagazine.com/i/352688
AUGUST 2014 | Washington Athletic Club Magazine | 29 the health risks associated with isolation, which can include inflammation and impaired immune function. Simply put, your brain and your overall health will thank you for cheering on your team—especially when you are doing so with like-minded fans. THE ADVANTAGE OF SUSPENSE In the days and weeks after that January playoff game with the San Francisco 49ers, did you talk to people constantly about Richard Sherman's deflection in the end zone? Does that play stand out in your mind even more than the actual Super Bowl win? When the game is a nail-bitter, your emotional response is more intense. When that suspenseful NFC title game ended, Sherman's play was sealed into the mind of every true Seahawks fan. at's because, according to Ohio State University Professor Silvia Knobloch-Westerwick, when there's less certainty about a game's outcome, there is even greater eagerness and enjoyment. Knobloch-Westerwick's research has concluded that a fan's brain derives more pleasure from a close win, or even a close loss, than a lopsided game. e anxiety associated with thinking your team might lose creates an excited, nervous state. So when your team wins, all that negative tension is converted to positive energy. e rapid reversal from negative to positive emotions can put you in a euphoric state. REPLAYS AS MEDICINE At MINDRAMP Consulting, we wondered if replaying those exciting sports moments could be good for your brain. To answer that question, we looked to the cognitive benefits of music. Researchers have shown that certain songs from a person's past can serve as an emotional time machine. When remembering a song that brings back good memories, it can ease stress and transport you to that specific era when that song was encoded. We believed that sports radio or video highlights could have the same effect. So we informally tested this theory. We played several classic radio sports calls for our older male clients. For baseball fans—especially those from the East Coast and fans of the old New York Giants—we played them Russ Hodge's famous call during the 1951 National League playoffs between the Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers: "ompson steps up to the plate … e Giants win the pennant! e Giants win the pennant!" For other clients, we played a clip from the 1980 Olympic ice hockey game between the United States and the Soviet Union, when announcer Al Michaels asked famously, "Do you believe in miracles?" In both cases, the reactions were consistently positive. ose calls still seem to lift the spirits of sports fans who remember those games. So, decades from now when you are recovering from that knee surgery or just feeling like you need a brain chemical lift, watch the entire final quarter of that 2014 NFC title game. Let the anticipation of Sherman's final play build. Your brain will cheer your decision. PRESCRIPTION FOR BRAIN HEALTH Find a team. Follow your team. Share the bruises of the rough spots and savor the sweet taste of the high points that every season can bring. In fact, I will wager that right after anksgiving dinner in 2014, most of Seattle will again become a fully engaged community that feels excitement and elation as the Seahawks take on the 49ers. e rematch in Seattle on December 14 may provide a supercharged mix of neurochemicals generated by such exciting rivalry games. Even if your team isn't winning, as a sports fan, you know there's always next year. Perhaps that's why I like to say that for a passionate sports fan's brain, hope springs internal. Join educator Roger Anunsen for "Your Brain on Seahawks: How Passion and Engagement Optimize Brain Function and Health" at the WAC on September 3 at 6 pm. Tickets are $32. Contact Club Programs at 206.464.3060 or clubprograms@wac.net. See page 39 of this issue for more info about the event. Priming your memories Where were you on October 8, 1995? Hint: 57,000-plus Mariner fans were packed into the Kingdome. In the deciding game of the playoffs, the Yankees took a 5-4 lead in the top of the 11th inning. The tension built as Joey Cora and Ken Griffey Jr. singled, bringing Edgar Martinez to the plate. Need we continue? Probably not. Your brain is likely way ahead of you. By triggering the memory of that Mariner moment, your brain was primed to recall the thoughts and feelings associated with the team's dramatic comeback. Priming produces a heightened sensitivity to the recall of a prior memory. Basically, your brain races ahead to fill in the story and retrieves the emotions related to those memories. This recall initiates a cascade of neurochemicals that can have a beneficial impact on your mood and even on your cognitive function.