Last Updated on July 19, 2026 by Staff
Live sporting events do much more than entertain fans—they may also strengthen social bonds and improve emotional well-being. A new study by researchers at the University of Tsukuba in Japan suggests that simply watching a live basketball game with other people can increase the body’s natural production of oxytocin, often called the “love hormone,” while also reducing stress and synchronizing spectators’ heart rates.
Published in Translational Psychiatry. The research highlights how shared sports experiences may promote feelings of connection without requiring direct interaction or physical contact. The findings could eventually inspire new non-drug approaches to improving mental health and social well-being.
The Power of Oxytocin
Oxytocin is a naturally occurring hormone that plays a crucial role in trust, empathy, affection, and social bonding. It is released during positive social interactions and helps people build emotional connections with others.
Scientists have previously explored whether giving oxytocin through nasal sprays could improve social functioning in people with conditions such as depression, social anxiety disorder (SAD), schizophrenia, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, these treatments have generally shown only limited benefits.
Because of this, researchers have shifted their attention toward finding natural ways to stimulate the body’s own production of oxytocin rather than relying on medication.
The University of Tsukuba team wanted to investigate whether shared emotional experiences—such as watching live sports—could naturally activate this important hormone.
Inside the Study
The researchers recruited 60 spectators attending two collegiate basketball games at the University of Tsukuba. To understand how watching live sports affected their bodies and emotions, the team collected saliva samples before the game, during halftime, and immediately after the match. These samples were used to measure oxytocin and cortisol levels.
While oxytocin reflects social bonding, cortisol is known as the body’s primary stress hormone. Participants also wore heart-rate monitors throughout the games so researchers could track changes in cardiovascular activity.
Finally, spectators completed questionnaires about their emotional experience, including how much they enjoyed the game, whether they felt connected to other fans, and whether they wanted to attend another live sporting event in the future.
Heartbeats in Sync
One of the study’s most interesting discoveries involved heart rate synchronization. Researchers found that many spectators’ heart rhythms gradually became more aligned while watching the same sporting event together.
This synchronization appeared to be associated with increased oxytocin levels. Individuals whose bodies produced more oxytocin tended to show stronger heart-rate synchrony with other spectators. At the same time, cortisol levels declined during the game, suggesting that watching the event helped reduce stress rather than increase it.
The researchers also observed differences based on participants’ starting hormone levels. People who initially had low oxytocin experienced noticeable increases during the event, while those who already had higher levels maintained them throughout the game.
Together, these findings suggest that shared emotional experiences may influence both hormonal activity and physiological responses linked to human connection.
More Than Entertainment
The study indicates that attending live sports events may create meaningful opportunities for social bonding, even among strangers.
Unlike activities that require physical interaction, sports spectators simply share attention, excitement, and emotional reactions to the same event.
This common experience appears sufficient to activate biological systems involved in social connection.
Participants who showed stronger physiological responses also reported greater enjoyment, deeper immersion in the game, a stronger sense of unity with fellow spectators, and a higher willingness to attend future sporting events.
The researchers believe these findings demonstrate that meaningful social connections do not always require direct conversation or physical contact. Shared emotional experiences alone may be enough to strengthen feelings of belonging.
Future Possibilities
Although attending sports events is not a treatment for psychiatric disorders, the researchers believe it could become part of broader strategies aimed at improving mental health and reducing loneliness. Future studies will explore whether factors such as match outcomes, previous experience playing sports, or age influence these biological responses.
The team also hopes to better understand how the brain’s “social network” develops across different stages of life and how public events can encourage stronger emotional connections between people.
Ultimately, researchers want to design environments that maximize the social benefits of shared experiences. As modern society faces increasing levels of loneliness and mental health challenges, simple activities like watching live sports together may offer unexpected psychological and biological benefits.
This research suggests that the excitement of cheering for the same team does more than unite fans emotionally—it may also synchronize their bodies, reduce stress, and naturally stimulate one of the brain’s most important hormones for human connection. These discoveries provide fresh insight into how shared experiences can strengthen social bonds in everyday life.