There is a new reason to binge-watch the Olympic Games. Older adults are less likely to be depressed the more they watch sports, a new study has found.
Investigators analyzed data from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study, a nationwide survey of more than 21,000 older adults. Participants reported the average frequency at which they watched sporting events on-site and via television or internet over the past year. Approximately 21% had depressive symptoms.
Depressive symptoms were less prevalent among older study participants who watched sports on-site several times a year. Symptoms also decreased as the frequency of watching sports on the television or via the internet increased. What’s more, this association between more sports-watching and less-depressed mood stayed the same whether or not study participants played sports or exercised themselves, reported Taishi Tsuji, Ph.D., of the University of Tsukuba.
Sports may provide depression-reducing social cohesion and networking with friends, Tsuji and colleagues proposed. Providing additional opportunities for elders to watch sports remotely may be a useful way to help prevent depression when activities are severely restricted due to the pandemic, the authors concluded.
The study was published in Scientific Reports.
