The Winter Olympics are underway and while we root for the home team, we may be enjoying unexpected health benefits!

That’s because well-being isn’t built through nutrition, sleep, and movement alone. It’s also shaped by connection, enjoyment, and moments that help the nervous system unwind. For many people, watching sports provides exactly that.

Whether it’s a weekly ritual, a playoff run, the occasional big game, or the Olympics, viewing sports can play a small but meaningful role in supporting mental and emotional health. Here’s how.

1. It fosters connection

Watching sports often creates a shared experience. Fans gather in living rooms, community spaces, or online chats to follow the same moments in real time. Even brief interactions, commenting on a play, celebrating a win, or commiserating over a loss, can reduce feelings of isolation.

In a time when loneliness is increasingly common, these points of connection can matter. Feeling part of a group, even informally, can support emotional well-being and a sense of belonging.

2. It allows for healthy emotional expression

Everyday life doesn’t always leave room to fully express emotion. Sporting events do. Excitement, disappointment, anticipation, and joy are all demonstrative and expected responses during a game.

This kind of emotional release can help reduce stress. Engaging moments stimulate the brain’s reward system and support the release of dopamine; a neurotransmitter associated with motivation and pleasure. For many people, this helps create a sense of relief and mental reset.

3. It reinforces identity and continuity

For some, supporting a favourite country or team is closely tied to family traditions, cultural background, or a sense of place. Following a local or long-standing team can help people feel connected to their roots and personal history.

This continuity, linking past experiences with present routines, can be grounding, particularly during periods of change or uncertainty.

4. It supports low-pressure social interaction

Talking about sports is often an easy way to connect with others. Conversations can stay light and familiar, offering social engagement without the pressure of sharing personal details.

These low-stakes interactions still provide meaningful benefits. Social connection doesn’t always require depth to be supportive; sometimes consistency and ease are just as valuable.

5. It engages the brain

Watching sports or the Olympics isn’t always passive. Many viewers actively follow strategies, statistics, and patterns of play or events. Activities like fantasy leagues or post-game analysis encourage attention, memory, and problem-solving.

This type of mental engagement helps keep the brain active and can contribute to cognitive resilience over time.

What the research suggests

Some research has shown that watching sports activates reward pathways in the brain, including dopamine release. Regular viewers have also been found to show structural differences in areas of the brain associated with reward processing and motivation.

Other studies indicate that the greatest benefits occur when emotional engagement and social interaction are combined, highlighting why shared viewing experiences can be especially impactful.

A balanced perspective

Watching the Olympics, or any favourite sport, isn’t a substitute for other foundations of health, but it can be part of a broader, balanced approach to well-being. Enjoyment, connection, and moments of shared focus all play a role in how we feel day to day.

If following the Olympics or your favourite sports team brings you closer to others, helps you unwind, or simply gives you something to look forward to, those benefits are worth recognizing.

Go Canada, Go! Or whichever team makes you feel engaged in rooting for. There’s no wrong answer when it comes to the fun and camaraderie of sport. Enjoy!