A goal in soccer—aka football—triggers immediate elation for one side and acute stress for the other.

Soccer's highs and lows activate powerful neurotransmitters like dopamine and cortisol.

GABA helps restore calm after the acute stress response post-game, reviving rational thinking.

Because of how soccer is played (in terms of skills and rules), it elicits immense mental, emotional, physical, and psychological responses as both a sport and a spectator experience. At the start of every game, there is hope and anticipation. However, once the game begins, these feelings are heightened even further (Hanin, 2003; Tamminen & Bennett, 2017; van Paridon et al., 2017).

This continuous emotional and psychological anticipation persists until one critical moment in the game changes everything—a goal is scored. With this goal, there is an immediate and overwhelmingly powerful emotional, psychological, and physical response by both sides (Islam, 2021; Tamminen & Bennett, 2017).

The team that has scored the goal (along with their supporters) experiences an immediate emotional, psychological, and physical response of immense elation and euphoria. This is driven by a rapid release of dopamine (the “feel-good” neurotransmitter). However, for the other team (including their supporters), there are intense feelings of "absolute" despair. These feelings could be compared with an acute stress response (Häusler et al., 2015; Humińska-Lisowska, 2024).

The Acute Stress Response

When the acute stress response occurs, there is an immediate cascade of physiological responses. The amygdala responds by signaling the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus is responsible for the metabolic processes involved in the autonomic nervous system. This then cascades to the activation of the pituitary gland in the brain.

The pituitary gland is part of the endocrine system. The endocrine system produces hormones that regulate and mediate the actions of many other endocrine glands, including the adrenal glands, which release hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline. Cortisol is produced by the adrenal glands, which sit atop each kidney, and its release is regulated by the pituitary gland.

In the acute stress response, adrenaline generates an immediate reaction, while cortisol sustains and regulates it by mobilizing energy; later, cortisol also helps initiate the shutdown of the stress response through negative feedback, after which inhibitory neurotransmitters such as GABA (gamma‑aminobutyric acid) support the restoration of calm, prefrontal-cortex-driven thinking.

In relation to the release of adrenaline, the amygdala signals the hypothalamus when stress occurs. The hypothalamus........

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