Fantasy football players, it might be time to face a hard truth: Your relationship with the game may have the potential to significantly damage your mental health.
A new study has found that increased investment in this seemingly harmless hobby leads to more intense emotional highs and more extreme emotional lows.
In fantasy football, participants act as owners and managers of virtual teams. Competitors draft their teams and points are awarded in weekly matchups based on the outcomes of real-world competition. It is often played for money.
Researchers from Australia and the U.K. recruited 635 fantasy football players from social media and fantasy sport websites. Participants were quizzed about things like their financial investments in the game, how long they had played, and the number of leagues they played in.
Researchers assessed participants’ mental health using scales that measure depression, anxiety, stress, mood, functional impairment, and problematic behavior.
They found that those who were more engaged, played for higher money amounts, and were more invested in rankings reported higher positive moods — but also higher levels of anxiety, stress, bad moods, and problematic behavior.
Participants in multiple leagues had more positive moods but more problematic behavior compared with less-active fantasy players. Overall, players more caught up in results and rankings experienced worse mental health outcomes across all measures. The opposite was true for less-engaged players.
Bottom line: Like any pleasurable activity, it’s probably a good idea to enjoy fantasy football in moderation.