For those whose team wins the trophy, several side effects could make the day even better, including the taste of your food and your perception of yourself.

The more you care about a team, the more you can feel these effects.

"A lot of your identity is found in the team," said Daniel Wann, professor of psychology at Murray State University. "When the team is doing well or badly … it is as if you were one of the competitors, so you feel its success like yours, because in a certain way , that's it. "
A 2015 study discovered that the food was better for people when the team they supported won a match.
Robin Dando, Associate Professor in the Department of Food Science at Cornell University, and his fellow researchers used ice cream samples in college hockey games for a season to see how the perception of fans' tastes evolved over time. final score.

He and his colleagues discovered that people enjoyed the flavors more on the days the team won. "When we looked at how they reacted to these different flavors, in the games they had won, the flavors had a sweeter and less acidic taste, as opposed to their loss," said Dando.

Does my sports team kill me?

One of their theories to explain this result is that, when you are happy, your system contains more serotonin, a "neurotransmitter very strongly related to mood and affect". Having more of that running in your body because you had a good day could influence how things look, because there are serotonin receptors in our taste buds, said Dando.

This does not necessarily take into account the taste changes seen in their research, but according to Dando, there may be another explanation of how much people liked ice cream on the days their team won.

"There is another interpretation, probably more simplistic," he said. "If you're really in a good mood, it takes less to satisfy you, and so something might taste a bit better because your base level is a bit higher."

You feel smarter and more attractive

"Research shows that when a team succeeds, people feel that their cognitive skills are better.They believe that their social skills are better.When a successful team, she has a more positive view of life in general, "said Wann.

The good side of being a sports fan
He referenced research to people who watched a basketball game at the university and who asked themselves questions such as the number of problems that they thought they could solve or the likelihood that someone would come with them.

"When the team won, she had a more positive view of her cognitive skills and social skills," said Wann.

"All that is affected by a positive mood increase will be increased by watching your team win," he said. "Research clearly shows that it will improve your mood, your happiness and all that goes in that direction will increase."

You could end up spending more

This may not be a good side effect for you, but those who work in bars and restaurants around great games might appreciate it.

"I have often thought that they should do a study on tips," said Wann. "I think after the team's win, the tips would be higher because happy people are giving more tips."

A healthier tailgate for the win

In addition, he added, people celebrating a win are more likely to go out to eat or buy team memorabilia.

A victory could even have an effect on the economy of a whole country.

"They did research this shows that sometimes the result and the success and failure of the national teams may be related to the economy for a short time, "said Wann," because, again, happy people have tendency to spend money. "

You might feel like you have acquired a status

"Team fans have an idea of ​​their status and are posting status gains when their teams win, called Basking in Reflected Glory," he writes. Paul Bernhardt, Associate Professor of Psychology at Frostburg State University, in an email.
Bernhardt has research testosterone levels among sports fans after seeing their team win.

With his colleagues and his mentor, he found that those who saw the winning team win – a university basketball game in front or a 1994 World Cup championship game at a night of surveillance – had levels of higher testosterone.

Testosterone is associated with dominance and social behavioral behaviors in men, Bernhardt said; his study was only about men.

"Sometimes domination is aggressive but not usually," he said. "Most often, it's noisy, impulsive behavior or other manifestations that give the impression of a gain of status."

He also pointed out that newer discoveries imply that men with higher testosterone levels are "geared towards strengthening their social bonds", in situations where positive social behavior leads to gains in social status, which means that you may feel closer to your friends after a big win.

It's a way to escape

Although football – or any other sport – can have these effects on viewers, whether their team wins or loses, it can also be a form of escape for those who need it.

"People have to go out and let off steam, whether it's because of their job, their wedding, something else, and the sport allows us to do it," he said. Richard Lustberg, a New York psychologist who works with athletes. Athletes are "artists, and are great artists for those who like it".

However, he warned that people should not let a sport have so much effect on them.

"Although I'm looking for the Super Bowl Patriots, it will not end my days," he said. "This is not a chemotherapy or radiation therapy, so really, it will have no effect on our life … If we only talk about your usual and daily effect on my life: none!"