With the Olympic Games in its second week it is an opportune time to discuss why so many people are interested, perhaps even totally absorbed by them. For some it can seem hard to understand how and why so many people become so fascinated with sports and people they pay little or no attention to at other times. Even with world championships they may not give the amount of attention they do when compared to the emotional pull of the Olympics.
To get a better grip on this we come back to a topic I have mentioned before, the needs which drive our behaviour. The Olympics are fascinating for so many people because they can ride the highs and lows of each event vicariously. Of course, many sporting and other events can also be need satisfying, but the Olympics condense all this into two intense weeks. The let down when one sporting competitor does not “succeed” is quickly overcome when another wins a medal, performs a personal best, or has a story of achievement over adversity. This can even happen if it is in a sport the watcher knows little or nothing about.
The needs which are sometimes satisfied are universal. The need to feel connected and at one with the rest of the community is satisfied when we feel a sense of belonging, being part of the national team, our team. Of course, this can be overdone and become an unhealthy form of jingoism. The need to feel a sense of fun and enjoyment watching and learning about a new sport as we instantly become armchair experts and water cooler analysts. This too can be overdone if we become critical and judgemental of athletes who are performing to the best of their ability in a highly competitive environment, yet don’t win that gold medal. The need for achievement and success may be satisfied when one of our athletes does win a medal, particularly gold and we bathe in their success. This too can become extreme and may even take on racist forms if we believe we are superior to others.
Finally, there can be the let down when our dopamine hits stop coming because the Olympics have finished, and we resume our normal lives. Some may even feel so down they plunge into mild depressing.
So, enjoy the Olympics, but understand that true happiness comes from each of us taking responsibility for, and finding ways to, meet our needs in ongoing and sustainable ways.