Football fan Henrik Gerdin is the happiest man. His team scored a last-minute goal, winning him his bet and sending his heart racing to euphoric heights.
The 25-year-old Swede is participating in a World Cup experiment at Loughborough University in the UK, aimed at examining the effects of football betting on fans’ heart rates.
“The heart rates we recorded in the initial phase of the study matched those of individuals reaching climax, with some even exceeding that,” said Professor Ron Maughan.
The study will continue as long as the England team remains in the World Cup. Moving forward, they will measure the stress or excitement levels of English fans.
Gerdin placed a £100 bet on a 2-2 draw between Sweden and England during the group stage match. Swedish player Henrik Larsson scored in the 90th minute on June 20, bringing the match to a 2-2 tie, igniting the ecstatic joy of Swedish fans in the Cologne stadium—and of course, Gerdin in the lab.
“He really went crazy,” said Simon Greening, an English football fan also participating in the experiment. “If it were me, I would be the same.”
All participants were sponsored with £100 from the website betfair.com, half of which was placed on bets.
“It was truly an overwhelming feeling of stress,” Gerdin stated. “I was obsessed with it all day and finally won.” Gerdin earned £2,000.
So far, research results indicate that World Cup betting provides more excitement than sex, at least based on heart rates.
“We all know that football fans are passionate about their teams, but this result proves that sometimes football is even better than sex,” Maughan noted.
Participants had an average heart rate of 120 beats per minute. According to the American Heart Association, during climax, an individual’s heart rate typically ranges from 90 to 145 beats per minute, peaking at 115 beats per minute. A normal resting heart rate is about 70 beats per minute.
Gerdin recorded the highest heart rate in the study, averaging 133 beats per minute and peaking at 168 beats per minute.
M.T
