WJXT: The Psychology of Rooting for the Underdog

1. If you are rooting for the underdog team and they end up winning, this unexpected success makes you feel happier. The brain processes this situation as out of the ordinary, but positive, so the rewards center of your brain is stimulated and releases hormones that make you happier ( research by Dr. Shah).

2. Cheering for the underdog creates an emotional connection with their efforts, just as though we are out there fighting the good fight with them.

3. But finally we root for the underdog because it makes us feel like we are part of something bigger than ourselves. Psychologists call this”Collective effervescence” – a collective euphoria. We are hypersocial creatures – we need to feel like we belong – and rooting for the underdog as a society fills the human need for belonging.