Watching yourself win gets the competitive juices flowing

Watching the good guys win is inspiring. Anyone who's seen the football flick Rudy knows that. But what happens when you play a starring role?

A new Canadian study shows that watching a tape of your own previous victory can still get the competitive juices flowing.

Brock University researchers found that university-level hockey players who watched a video of themselves winning a game experienced a surge in testosterone levels. By contrast, their testosterone levels did not change significantly when they watched themselves lose.

Previous studies have linked elevated testosterone levels to increased competitiveness and aggressive behaviour, said Brock graduate student Justin Carré, lead author of the study, which has been accepted for publication in Psychoneuroendocrinology . 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.

Does this mean that watching pump-up videos is an effective pre-game strategy?

“This increase in testosterone could, in theory, have an impact on performance," Mr. Carré said, while cautioning that more research is needed to see if 45 per cent is enough to improve a player's game.

“It's worth pursuing. In sports, people are trying to find any edge. And it's a legal way to do it."

Not that many hockey players are waiting for scientific proof, said Mr. Carré, who played on a hockey scholarship in Buffalo before pursuing graduate work.

“Most coaches might read this article and say, ‘Of course. We get them to watch pump-up videos like Don Cherry's Rock 'Em S ock 'Em before a game.'"