Watching live sports together may strengthen social bonds by boosting oxytocin and synchronizing heart rates

Attending live sporting events with other fans may do more than provide entertainment—it could also strengthen social connections by increasing the body's natural oxytocin levels and synchronizing spectators' heartbeats, according to a new study.

The research, published in Translational Psychiatry, was conducted by scientists at the University of Tsukuba, who investigated how shared experiences during live basketball games influence biological and psychological markers of social bonding.

Oxytocin, often called the "bonding" or "love" hormone, plays an important role in trust, empathy and the formation of social relationships. While previous studies have explored oxytocin as a treatment administered through nasal sprays, the Japanese researchers focused instead on ways to stimulate the body's own production of the hormone through everyday social experiences.

The study involved 60 spectators attending two university basketball games. Researchers collected saliva samples before the games, at halftime and immediately after the final whistle to measure oxytocin and cortisol levels. Participants also wore heart-rate monitors throughout the games and completed questionnaires assessing enjoyment, feelings of unity with other spectators and willingness to attend future events.

The results showed that spectators with relatively low oxytocin levels before the games experienced an increase during the event, while those with initially higher levels maintained elevated concentrations. At the same time, cortisol—a hormone associated with stress—declined over the course of the games.

Researchers also observed that spectators' heart-rate patterns became increasingly synchronized while watching the matches together. Individuals with higher oxytocin levels tended to show stronger heart-rate synchrony, and both physiological responses were associated with greater enjoyment, a stronger sense of togetherness, deeper immersion in the event and a greater desire to attend future games.

The authors suggest that simply sharing attention and emotions with other people—without direct interaction or physical contact—may be sufficient to trigger biological processes linked to social bonding.

According to the researchers, these findings indicate that live sporting events may represent an accessible, non-pharmacological way to promote social connection and emotional well-being. Although attending sports events alone is unlikely to treat complex psychiatric disorders, it could complement broader approaches aimed at reducing loneliness and strengthening interpersonal relationships.

The team plans to investigate how factors such as match outcomes, previous sports experience and age influence these bonding effects, with the long-term goal of designing environments that maximize the social benefits of shared sporting experiences.

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