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Playing FIFA Is Good For Your Health And Improves Anxiety According To Latest Study

Playing FIFA Is Good For Your Health And Improves Anxiety According To Latest Study

'FIFA rage' isn't the be all and end all.

Daniel Marland

Daniel Marland

A new health study has revealed playing FIFA is actually good for your health and can reduce anxiety.

EA Sports' hit franchise has become famous over the years for the 'FIFA rage' every player seems to come down with a case of.

Gamers smashing up their controllers or even their own bedrooms have been a staple of the internet but The University Of Leeds, in collaboration with Casino.org have settled the debate once and for all.

Their deep dive into what goes on in the body while playing a game of FIFA shows a reduction in stress and anxiety for everyone.

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EA Sports

"When a goal was scored there was a spike in heart rate, this tended to be higher when the opposition scored which is indicative of a surge in emotion," a press release explained.

"All players demonstrated an increase in heart rate whilst playing the game. Heart rate responses were more elevated across the board when playing against an unknown player, reaching levels of a moderate cardio workout when goals were scored on either side."

Once conceding a goal, heartrate went up for 70 per cent of subjects as they looked to find an equaliser or winner.

"Playing against an unknown player who really exists clearly caused a higher level of arousal, and goals scored against participants in those games had a marked impact on heart rate," the research adds.

"The heart rate spikes in this condition approached up to 140 beats per minute, indicating a real surge in emotional activity when a goal is scored.

"This kind of escalation is comparative to what individuals within our participant's age range would see when engaging in a moderate cardio work-out such as a brisk walk (around 135 BPM).

"Despite blood pressure and heart rate results both indicating a surge in emotional activity and rage when playing the game, participants across the board pre and post all indicated a decline in anxiety.

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EA Sports

"This shows that despite the commonality of experiencing 'FIFA rage', playing the game can actually reduce the players' perception of stress and anxiety."

So playing a few games of intense FIFA could actually be beneficial to your health, even if you lose? Interesting stuff, especially with the PlayStation and Xbox Series X around the corner.

Featured Image Credit: EA Sports

Topics: gaming news, Football News, GAMING, Football, FIFA, EA Sports, FIFA 21