I’m a sports psychologist and die -hard Eagles fan

The Super Bowl is some of the essential individual day sports events on the planet.

It attracts Over 100 million US viewers And [tens of millions of international viewers]it makes it an entertainment phenomenon. For Eagles fans who don’t travel within the superdome in New Orleans, there are various places to have a look at in Philadelphia – including Rowdy bars, lounge and even FlapEverything while town is in Eagles highlighted green.

For me, the Super Bowl is an actual laboratory. As a Sports scientistPresent Neuropsychology professor And the previous sports director at Drexel University in Philadelphia I’m examining how high -performance athletes cognitively and psychologically prepare for an achievement on the match day.

What can psychology reveal about who’s mentally able to win the Super Bowl when the inserts are highest?

Persistent and open for experience

Studies suggest that super elite athletes are stubborn and challenging to rattle.

Their psychological profiles are just like those of high performance Solo classic guitarists or Fighter pilot. In personality tests, athletes often achieve at the very least average extra version, openness and tolerance and achieve high conscientiousness.

Professional athletes work incredibly hard and are disciplined, well organized, goal -oriented, reliable and usually sociable.

A brand new focus in personal research in competitive athletes is on creativity and specifically Open for experienceIt is certainly one of them to be receptive to latest ideas and to be flexible.

Openness has grow to be increasingly essential Modern blueprint for winning football games. Daniel Memmert, sports scientist on the German Sports University Cologne, calls this “tactical creativity. “” “It is a cognitive style that makes it possible to be imaginative and to think in another way, what’s a ability to think flexibly outside of routines and develop several solutions in competitive situations in real time.

Divergent pondering in high -performance sports includes the concentration on the upcoming task and Pay attention to relevant information while irrelevant information is ignored within the sporty arena. The creative athlete knows it When and where to look To win a game or avoid a costly mistake.

Creative and funky under pressure

Creativity is of essential importance in non -written football games – if a planned piece was not carried out accurately, corresponding to a fumbling or intercept.

Intentionally Distract their opponent has grow to be a crucial a part of the sports competition. For this reason, quarterbacks often change the sport within the series of scrimmage. In improvised offensive games, nonetheless, it becomes much more critical if every little thing will not be written. In a sport during which milliseconds are essential, it could actually be the difference between winning and losing, being creative and coping with something that your opponent doesn’t expect.

When the 2018 Eagles won the Super Bowl, Backup Quarterback Nick Foles calm led a trick game on the fourth and gateAs the primary player within the story, who thrown and recorded a touchdown pass in an excellent bowl. The piece is now called The Philly Special.

Exercise an athlete, nonetheless, tactical creativity Must be relaxed. It will not be easy when hundreds of thousands of individuals watch every movement.

Football players compete in a field with people who are on the side lines
Trey Burton Trey Burton by Philadelphia Eagles Breite A touchdown pass to Quarterback Nick Foles, which was not shown in 2018 for a trick game through the Super Bowl Lii in Minneapolis.
Jim Davis/The Boston Globe about Getty Images

Brain connectivity from one of the best

The most important reason for poor sporting performance. Studies indicate that the competition is an athlete be cumulative and possibly even contagiousinfluence the teammates negatively.

This makes the Super Bowl a battle of the nerves in addition to the physical execution of games. How do skilled athletes do it? The athlete practices the way to take into consideration as much as you play to play. Training is deliberately difficult and uncomfortable to arrange body and mind.

Since emotions and thoughts influence behavior and performance, the concept of emotional self-regulation or intentionally focused on the present moment. introduced in competitive sports. Mindfulness, meditation, yoga, respiration exercises and grounding techniques are actually now Integral to the tool kit for top -performance sports.

It is comparatively easy for athletes to extend their feelings to push the ball forward with a game like that Philadelphia Brotherly Shove – An almost unstoppable offensive game that the Eagles uses during which the team increases the quarterback by defending the opponent for a brief profit if vital.

But calming these emotions to perform a synchronized, attacking, complex passing game is more cognitively demanding.

A successful football player has to remain barely excited to be composed on the command inside seconds.

This cognitive efficiency and fluidity requires many hours to master. I’m fully aware that while I hurt the Eagles' Jalen, I’m not only watching a terrific, progressive quarterback. I’m witness to the brain connectivity of one of the best.

Woman in Crowd on Street keeps a sign with the inscription: “Everything we wanted was everything. Thanks Eagles! '
The fans of Philadelphia Eagles celebrated the team's first Super Bowl win on February 8, 2018 with a victory parade.
Corey Perrine via Getty Images

Psychology of the Eagles fans

How fans experience the Super Bowl Sunday is psychologically very different from the players.

The players are process -oriented to scale back at the very best level. They attempt to be present in real time and play without fear. On the matchday, it’s advantageous for the competitor to play like a baby, filled with joy and self -confidence.

Fans, alternatively, are result -oriented. And they’re nervous wrecks like parents like their children.

A treatment for this stress is I have a look at the sport with other fans. Philadelphians represent various socio -economic and ethnic groups that usually mix through sports. These social connections – which Germans, who were among the many first settlers of town, call Sense of community – are a trademark for good psychological health.

I do know that I’ll always remember when the Eagles Super Bowl Lii: the sport, the season and the parade have won.

And latest research results indicate why.

According to the University of California, Berkeley Psychology Professor Dacher Keltner, this authentic Fortunately, “awe” moments are abbreviations. Football fans Could experience awe If an apparently unpredictable intercept or touchdown has considerable consequences.

In other words, the fun of the sport and the joy not only to win fans, you may as well transform into happier versions of yourself.

image credit : theconversation.com