“For many virtual coaches, winning is difficult and losing can affect a person’s mood,” explained one of the authors of the analysis.
The study and the results – The average age of the respondents is 33 and almost 96% are male. A quarter of respondents (24.6%) said gambling caused their mood to worsen slightly. Given that it doubles if we take into account the “strong” players, that is, those who dedicate more time to fantasy football (and which correspond to 20.8% of the total). Of these, 34% said they experienced at least mild “anxiety”, while 37% said gambling disrupted their lives, causing what the researchers called “functional deficit.”
To all this must be added the impact of the web and social networks, the involvement of which, according to the study, has added a “myriad of complex cognitive, psychological and social processes that can have a negative impact on mental health“.
“For many virtual coaches, winning is difficult and losing can affect a person’s mood,” he explained Guardian Luke Wilkins, one of the authors of the analysis -. Our study highlights the benefits fantasy football can bring, but also warns about potential downsides. More should be done to monitor the amount of time spent on this game. ”