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Fandom and Mental Health

Bengals

Cincinnati can't hide its excitement! And why would we?

This weekend's AFC Championship game between the Bengals and the Kansas City Chiefs will be epic for Cincinnati fans. All kinds of predictions and parties are being discussed and planned as the excitement for Game Day reaches fever pitch.

But just how does all this "super fandom" affect a person's mental health? I wondered what that effect might be, so consulting Google helped surface some interesting observations.

For one thing, says a WebMD piece, if you're a diehard sports fan, research says you are better at several things: preparing for bad things that can happen, thinking about conflict, and letting go of stress, to name a few.

When you're super connected to a sports team, says the story, you also may have greater self-esteem and your family relationships get stronger, too.

so go ahead! Keep that super fandom of yours flowing as long as you can! See what good it can do for your - and your family's - mental health! Go Bengals!!!