Yearly Archives: 2012

Emotions In Sports Are Expressed By Whole Bodies, Not Only By Facial Expressions

If you think that you can judge by examining someone’s facial expressions if he has just hit the jackpot in the lottery or lost everything in the stock market — think again. Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and

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Posted in Science General, Sport Science

Oxytocin as Sports Enhancer

Is playing football like falling in love? That question, which would perhaps not occur to most of us watching hours of the bruising game this holiday season, is the focus of a provocative and growing body of new science examining

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Posted in Football, Joint Action, My own research, Science General, Sport Science

Does Empathy Score in Football?

When you need to perform, emotions either help you, or they throw a spanner in the works. Just ask Arjen Robben who missed a penalty in the final of the Champions League in May. Dr. Gert-Jan Pepping, a researcher at the

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Posted in Football, My own research, Science General, Sport Science

How to end England’s (or anyone else’s) shootout nightmare

For the 6th time since 1990, the British football team has been knocked out of a major tournament by losing the decisive penalty shootout. In the quarter-finals of Euro 2012 against Italy last Sunday, England seemed to finally put an

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Posted in Football, My own research, Science General, Sport Science

Rooney’s take on decision-making in football

“I think, I suppose, when you are younger, you’re always …you’re a bit more advanced than the kids your age, so there are times on the pitch where you can see different things, but they can’t obviously see it. So

Posted in Football

Mental Pressure in Football

As a football player you have to be able to deal with pressure. The worst is the mental pressure in an important match. What exactly is the impact of mental stress on your sports performance – and on the performance of your teammates? Researchers of the University of Groningen and the professional football

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Posted in Experimental Psychology, Football, My own research, Sport Science

Oxytocin, Contagion of Positive Emotions and Performing in Team-Sports

Emotional contagion refers to the tendency to automatically mimic and synchronize expressions, vocalisations, postures and movements with those of another person’s and consequently to converge emotionally. Contagion of positive emotions is thought to play an important role in achieving successful

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Posted in Football, My own research, Science General, Sport Science

We all know how grip works, we do it every day

A scientific poster, presented at Mastery of Manual Skill, UMCG, April 2012.

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Posted in Ecological Psychology, Experimental Psychology, My own research

Plan B

Playing his first major final, against Fergal O’Brien in the Masters, Hunter was well down at the interval. In a notorious stunt, his manager Brandon Parker instructed him to revert to “Plan B” – which, as Hunter reiterates with determined

Posted in Science General, Sport Science

I Follow Goals: A Legendary Shootout

Oh I beg you, can I follow Oh I ask you why not always Be the ocean where unravel Be my only, be the water and I’m wading You’re my river running high, run deep run wild Lykke Li (I

Posted in Football