Collaborative post:
We are often told that sports are important, and we have an innate feeling that this is true. When we play, we feel better, and when we watch, we enjoy ourselves. So it does seem to make sense. However, the question really is why? Why are sports so important? Read on to find out just some of the reasons why we all need more sport in our lives.
Image Credit : Pixabay
Friendship
When we have sports in our lives, whether we play, go to games, or watch live sports like the British and Irish Lions tour, we will be able to make friends; we will be around people with the same likes and interests as us. This is crucial not just for children but for adults too, who often find it more difficult to make new friends as they get older.
Friends in our lives mean that we can enjoy more social events, have someone to talk to when we need advice or simply a shoulder to cry on, and we know there is always someone we can have fun with, whether that relates to a shared love of sports or not. Studies have shown that those with friends are happier, healthier, and may even live longer than those without, or those who have very few people they can rely on. One of the many benefits of friendship that can help you in every stage of your life and in every situation is good self-esteem.
Life Lessons
Enjoying sports can teach us many life lessons as well. One of these is learning how to lose. Understanding that losses happen in life is important, no matter what you do for a living. If you’re a boss or an employee, if you own a business or work for someone else, if you are looking for work or have worked in the same place for a long time, knowing how to lose gracefully is crucial – you can have much better relationships and be more successful implementing this knowledge than if you always win.
You can also learn how to help others. Some sports are solo pursuits, but many are team games, and these are ideal lessons for showing people how to work together to be more successful.
A Mood Enhancer
Whether you are playing sports or watching sports, your mood will generally improve. Even if your team loses, you can still say that you enjoyed the game and the experience it offered you, and if you win, then that’s even better – a bonus to your good mood.
Doing something you enjoy will release ‘happy hormones’ into your body. Serotonin is one of these, and it fights against cortisol, which is the hormone that can make people stressed. Therefore, the more you do something you enjoy – such as sports in whatever capacity most appeals to you – the better your mood and the happier you will feel.
What’s really remarkable is that this happy feeling doesn’t only last for the length of the game, but continues for some time afterward. The more you get involved in your favorite sport, the happier you will be overall.
Sarah x
