Email
Print
ShareToronto: Watching a tape of your own previous victory can get the competitive juices flowing, according to a new Canadian study.
The study conducted by Brock University researchers showed that university-level hockey players who watched a video of themselves winning a game experienced a surge in testosterone levels.
On the other hand, their testosterone levels did not change significantly when they watched themselves lose.
Brock graduate student Justin Carre, lead author of the study, said that earlier studies have linked elevated testosterone levels to increased competitiveness and aggressive behaviour.
On average, the 23 NCAA Division 1 hockey players in his study experienced a 45-per-cent increase in testosterone levels when they watched their team win.
"This increase in testosterone could, in theory, have an impact on performance. It's worth pursuing. In sports, people are trying to find any edge. And it's a legal way to do it," the Globe and Mail quoted Carre as saying.
The study has been published in Psychoneuroendocrinology.
