我们都知道日常锻炼和参加体育运动对我们的身心健康有益。但是你知道仅仅观看体育比赛也可能让我们变得更健康吗？阅读本篇文章，了解观看体育比赛如何通过增强社交联系来提升身心健康和幸福感。

词汇：sport spectatorship 观看体育赛事

If you're a sports fan, you may be familiar with the emotional rollercoaster that comes with sports spectatorship. Whether you're part of a buzzing crowd in a stadium, or just watching at home on TV, it's easy to get caught up in the highs and the lows when you celebrate or commiserate with your favourite team or athlete. Those feelings are so strong, in fact, that a study from Croatia, published in PubMed, showed that the emotional stress during a football match increased the risk of a cardiovascular incident. But can watching sports be good for you too?

The evidence suggests that people who watch live sporting events experience greater wellbeing than those who don't. A study published in Frontiers in Public Health by the Anglia Ruskin University in the UK, found sports spectators felt less lonely and had higher scores for life satisfaction. Lead author Helen Keys said in a press release, "watching live sport of all types provides many opportunities for social interaction and this helps to forge group identity and belonging." She says this then reduces loneliness and boosts wellbeing.

But, if for any reason you aren't keen on going to live events, don't worry! Watching sports on TV or on the internet may also have positive effects, according to a 2021 study by Tsuji and colleagues. They found that older adults who watched sports were less likely to have depressive symptoms than those who didn't. On top of that, the sports spectators tended to have richer social networks than non-spectators. The authors suggest that the social networks you gain through watching sports may lower the risk of depressive symptoms.

So, the cheers at a live sports event or even casual chit-chat with friends about your favourite team can bring a sense of camaraderie and may reduce loneliness and depression. It seems the health benefits of sports are not limited to physical activity through participation in them, but that we can make gains in our general wellbeing through social bonding.

词汇表

emotional rollercoaster 情绪上的剧烈起伏
spectatorship 观看
buzzing crowd 熙熙攘攘的人群
commiserate 为……惋惜、遗憾
cardiovascular 心血管的
wellbeing 身心健康，幸福感
spectator 观众
forge 形成
belonging 归属感
depressive symptom 抑郁症状
social network 社交网络
cheer 欢呼声
chit-chat 闲聊
camaraderie 情谊、友谊
social bonding 社会纽带，社交联系

测验与练习

1. 阅读课文并回答问题。

1. What did a study from Croatia, published in PubMed, find?

2. True or False? Having opportunities for social interaction can boost wellbeing. 

3. Why does the author say not to worry if you aren't keen on live sports events?

4. What are three benefits of watching sports mentioned in the article?

5. What might cheers at a live sports event and chit-chat with friends about favourite team do? 

2. 选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。

1. The theatre was filled with the audience's _______ after the fantastic performance.

spectators                          cheers                         crowd                               wellbeing

2. After hearing about her loss, I went to her house to _______ with her and offer support.

celebrate                            commiserate               emotional                         cheer

3. Team-building activities are great for building _______ among employees.

camaraderie                       socialising                   spectatorship                    a rollercoaster

4. Through years of collaboration, they _______ a strong bond.

belonged                            spectated                    commiserated                   forged

5. The doctor recommends regular exercise to support _______ health.

cardiovascular                    wellbeing                    depressive                         belonging

答案

1. 阅读课文并回答问题。

1. What did a study from Croatia, published in PubMed, find?

A study from Croatia, published in PubMed, showed that the emotional stress during a football match increased the risk of a cardiovascular incident.

2. True or False? Having opportunities for social interaction can boost wellbeing.

True. A study published in Frontiers in Public Health found watching live sport provides opportunities for social interaction which the lead author said boosts wellbeing. Watching sports on TV or on the internet may also have positive effects.

3. Why does the author say not to worry if you aren't keen on live sports events? 

The author said not to worry if you aren't keen on live sports events because watching sports on TV or on the internet may also have positive effects.

4. What are three benefits of watching sports mentioned in the article? 

Benefits of watching sports include: greater wellbeing, reduces loneliness, higher life satisfaction, opportunities for social interaction, lower risk of depressive symptoms, richer social networks. 

5. What might cheers at a live sports event and chit-chat with friends about a favourite team do?

Cheers at a live sports event or even casual chit-chat with friends about your favourite team can bring a sense of camaraderie and may reduce loneliness and depression. 

2. 选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。

1. The theatre was filled with the audience's cheers after the fantastic performance. 

2. After hearing about her loss, I went to her house to commiserate with her and offer support. 

3. Team-building activities are great for building camaraderie among employees.

4. Through years of collaboration, they forged a strong bond.

5. The doctor recommends regular exercise to support cardiovascular health.

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