The Football World Cup is coming to an end after 4 weeks of colorful competition. The favorites from the start went home – we think of the reigning world champions the Germans, the Spaniards or the Brazilians – and unexpected teams managed to climb into the final four, such as Croatia and Belgium (from elsewhere, we do not know the outcome of the match between them and France at the time of writing these lines, but we are of course FULL BEHIND THE BLUES!). While discipline undeniably has a unifying aspect, it can also be a great help for the elderly. We explain:a psychiatrist specializing in dementia and professor at the University of Manchester named Alistair Burns claims that watching matches would be beneficial for seniors, and more particularly old matches which would keep the brain active by stimulating memories. It will therefore be necessary to rely more on watching the victory of the Blues in 1998 than on their last (and future!) victories in this 2018 World Cup to obtain such benefits. “Although fans don't feel it especially this week, football can be very good for the nerves. A beautiful match brings benefits to the body as well as to the mind. Like exercise, there is a positive connection between watching great games and brain activity. For older people and more specifically those with dementia, re-watching matches can bring back memories, reminisce about people from the past and keep their brains running says Professor Burns.
The phenomenon is explained by emotional or affective memory, to be contrasted with factual memory, which includes all the memories linked to a strong, positive (joy, surprise) or negative (anger, pain) emotion. Therefore, being able to rekindle exciting or more tense moments stimulates emotional memory and thus helps to enhance brain activity. The co-founder of the association Sporting Memories Foundation (the Foundation of Sports Instants in VF), Tony Jameson-Allen, allies himself to the position of Professor Burns. “Sport unites communities and generations, it enchants and awakens powerful emotions. Every week, we observe the positive impact memories of great sporting moments have on the mental and physical health of our members, many of whom suffer from dementia. […] These moments of anthology rekindle beautiful and positive memories that can be used to unite generations in the face of 3 major problems affecting seniors:dementia, depression and loneliness “, explains the man to the site Metro . We can only hope that our French people win this cup (we believe in it wholeheartedly!) not only to make the people proud at the moment T and in the years to come, but also to create nice memories for the seniors of tomorrow… ALLEZ LA FRANCE!
