Wednesday; June 24
When I was working out at the gym the other day I happened to look up and see an interesting story about being a sports “fan”. The essence of the story is that we feel good when our team(s) win and we feel bad when they lose. Now, for me, that was a no-brainer; but what got my attention was the fact that there was science behind my ups and downs. Prompted by the blip I saw on the TV, I went back to my office and found there actually was an article in Psychology Today written by Dr. Patrick McElwaine (a self proclaimed lifelong Philadelphia Eagles fan) entitled "The Psychology of Sports Fandom: Balancing Wins and Losses”. I will not attempt to summarize his work here, but if you are more than a casual sports fan, I would encourage you to read it. However, what I will say is that his research prompted me to wonder if we are taking casual things too seriously? Whether it is our sports, entertainment, politics … or whatever else we follow passionate...