Snippets From The World Of Psychology - August 2008
With the Beijing Olympics being staged this month, the August Snippets focus on Psychology and Sport - testosterone, drugs, bright light and exercise!
Red = Testosterone?
A recent study reported in the New Scientist (July 2008) suggests that wearing red attire may affect sporting outcomes. The German research team found that referees gave 13% more points (in taekwondo) to red coloured competitors, even when the performances were exactly the same as individuals perceived as wearing blue. Researchers believe that this effect is most likely to act on individual sports (such as boxing, taekwondo and wrestling) and is less likely to have an impact on team sports. However, it was acknowledged that ‘in team sports there could be bias but only in ambiguous tackling situations and these are usually rare’.A 2005 study by UK researchers (Hill and Barton) found that wearing red for some individual sports was an advantage, particularly in close encounters. Furthermore, drawing upon the results in the Euro 2004 soccer competition, it was found that the five teams which wore predominantly red in one of their two kits performed significantly better while wearing red, scoring around one extra goal per game. Researchers have hypothesised that displays of red are associated with the dominance in testosterone levels and human competitors may experience a testosterone surge while wearing the colour whilst some opponents may feel more submissive.
The issue of testosterone was also investigated in a 2002 study reported in the New Scientist. It was found that there is a big home advantage for soccer teams in the UK and this could well be attributed to testosterone levels. In this particular study, it was discovered that the players’ testosterone levels were at the male average before training and away matches. However, the levels were 40% higher just before a home match against a moderate rival but 67% higher for a home match against a bitter rival. Interestingly, the goalkeepers showed the biggest variation of testosterone – in training they had the lowest levels but before the home match, they had the highest.
Even in the virtual world the colour red has an impact. A recent study conducted by scientists at the University of Copenhagen found that red teams, from 1,347 bouts, won 55% of the time when playing the online videogame Unreal Tournament 2004.
The above research supports the view that China will be a serious contender for being the top nation in the medal tally, particularly at their home Olympics.Perhaps this also helps to explain the dominance of Queensland teams in the Australian context!
Drugs and the Minds of Athletes
The Catalyst program on ABC1 on 31 July 2008 provided an interesting insight into how science is assisting Australian athletes to prepare for the Beijing Olympics. Unfortunately, we did not see any mention of how psychology may provide benefits. However, last week, the New Scientist reported one UK study in which the researcher, backed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), is investigating the wider context in which doping occurs. Initial studies, surveying 375 elite athletes from a variety of sports, found that athletes who viewed success largely in terms of winning had more positive attitudes towards doping, as did those who set themselves excessively high goals. However, other factors may have an even stronger influence and these have been identified as athletes who said that their coaches frequently criticised them, punished them for mistakes, encouraged rivalries and gave unequal recognition to teammates.This work suggests that coaching strategies could help to deter doping. Apparently, the ‘mastery’ approach pioneered by sports psychologists, Frank Smoll and Ron Smith (University of Washington), teaches coaches to reward effort and improvement to correct mistakes rather than punish them. However, it is unproven yet whether mastery coaching translates into medals in the high stakes competition of elite sports.
The second phase of the project has produced results which align quite well with what is anecdotally accepted – dopers give little thought to the health consequences of doping although they can admit to feelings of guilt about letting themselves and their family down.
Finally, the UK researcher working with WADA suggests that elite athletes are so determined to enhance their performance that sporting authorities should offer more advice on a legitimate means of doing so via nutritional supplements. However, sporting bodies can be reluctant to advise in this area, beyond warning athletes that some supplements can be contaminated with banned drugs.
Exercise, Mood and the Healthy Body
The above passages discuss physical activity from a competitive and elite sports perspective. However, the mind-body interface is important to the community as a whole, particularly given the issue of obesity in the western world and the increasing problems of stress and even depression.Exercise can produce a large decrease on depression scores compared with no treatment. However, researchers (such as Lawlor and Hopker, 2001) claim that there is a limit to good-quality research and thus the positive effect of exercise cannot be stated unequivocally. Nevertheless, it should also be noted that the cautious researchers indicate that, unlike drug therapy, there are very few negative side effects and many additional physiological benefits can be obtained from exercise. Even the so-called ‘exercise dependence’ is extremely rare. (One hour a day on a treadmill is not exercise dependence, Big Brother!)
What may be seen more frequently is secondary exercise dependence – perhaps linked with eating disorders or body image disorders such as muscle dysmorphia.
A 2002 Finnish study noted the benefits of exercising with bright lights in (morning) exercisers. Of course, bright light has been used as a treatment for individuals suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and Finland, what with its dark winter months and alcohol issues, is a prime target for such research. The researchers found that physical exercise was effective in reducing depressive symptoms both in normal indoor illumination and in bright light. However, the reduction was significantly greater in those exercising in bright light. This positive effect was already apparent after four weeks of the eight week study. In individuals with SAD, the exercise and light enabled the circadian rest-activity rhythm to be disrupted. As such, individuals had reduced morning fatigue and reduced carbohydrate craving in the evening.
The message: Exercise, preferably in the morning, under bright lights. This will assist the physical side (by increasing the metabolic rate - or fat burning mechanism - and developing the cardio-vascular system) as well as enhancing one's emotional state and coping resources. Remember also to include weight - bearing exercises.