Playing fantasy football can result in poor mental health. Research has found that players who invested more time and money into the game - which involves picking players from a particular league or competition and scoring points based on their performances on the pitch - were found to have increased mental health concerns.
Fantasy football players can suffer from poor mental health
Players who regularly checked how their team was performing also had worse mental health in comparison to people who looked less - although there can be a positive effect for those engrossed in the game if their team is doing well.
Dr. Gary Ian Britton, an expert at Queen Mary University of London, said: "While the results of the study might seem worrying, all of these involved/engaged groups also reported more positive mood as a result of playing fantasy football compared to people who are less involved/engaged in the game.
"When your fantasy football team does badly you are more likely to feel down if you are more financially invested in the game, or if you are just invested in the game more generally.
"But equally, if your fantasy football team performs well in any given week, this is going to positively boost the mood of an engaged fantasy football player more than it would the mood of a less engaged player."
Tagged in Mental Health