The psychology of a student section

Anyone who has ever rooted for a sports team has probably believed, at one time or another, that they have somehow influenced the outcome of a game with their thoughts alone. Who hasn't seen die-hard basketball fans poised on the edge of the bleachers during an important game, desperately wishing for the ball to roll in as the last shot rattles around the rim?

Assistant psychology professor Emily Pronin from the Princeton Department of Psychology, along with her coauthors, decided to investigate this phenomenon — which goes by the term "magical thinking" in scholarly literature — in a recent study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology titled, "Everyday Magical Powers: The Role of Apparent Mental Causation in the Overestimation of Personal Influence."

"The inspiration for this experiment came from sporting-event spectators who perceive themselves as playing a role in their team's performance," the study said.

This perception remains even when spectators' only influence on team performance is an intense feeling of hope or confidence. Of course, common sense indicates that it is irrational to focus one's desires so ardently upon sporting events when no one but the players involved have any control.

Without this little bit of harmless hope, however, the whole foundation of sports as social enterprise would essentially vanish. Thankfully for the continued future of sport, it appears that sports fans are not always rational.

"I think that there are cases when people do not truly believe that they have affected the outcome of a game, but when they nevertheless feel as though they have had an impact on it," Pronin said.

Pronin's study examined the effect of positive thoughts on spectators' perceptions of sports performance. In one experiment, two groups were asked to watch neutral parties shooting free throws. One group was instructed to visualize the shooter making a free throw, while another group was asked to visualize matters unrelated to the shot.

Afterwards, those who visualized the free throw felt more responsible for the fact that the shooter was able to make his shot.

The study also examined the beliefs of Princeton basketball fans. The fans were found to overrate their responsibility for team victory if they were told to think about a Tigers victory the preceding day.

One concrete example of this 'magical thinking' phenomenon is relevant to any Princeton sports fan. As followers of the basketball team know, any time a Tiger attempts a free throw, the Jadwin Jungle performs a strange ritual that involves fans wiggling their fingers above their heads. The point, purportedly, is to focus positive energy upon the shooter.

Performing the 'spirit-fingers' during the closing moments of a close game certainly is a lot of fun. Some fans, however, including the president of the Jadwin Jungle, are realistic in their assessments of the group's actions.

"I don't think it affects the outcome," senior Freddy Flaxman, who is the Jadwin Jungle president, said. "It's a way of uniting the fans."

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This view may well be the commonly held notion of this particular ritual. During interviews, however, some members of the Jungle stood by the notion that finger-wiggling does impact the outcome of the shot.

"Of course [it does]. Why else would we watch?" sophomore Zeb Blackwell said.

The experimenters also set up a scenario in which one group was induced to think negatively towards another person while another group was not similarly induced. Afterwards, the participants were asked to perform a voodoo ritual that would project harm onto that person, who then reported having a headache.

The group which had been assigned to project negative feelings was found to feel a greater sense of responsibility for the harm that came to that person.

This portion of the experiment may not seem relevant to sports until one considers how many Red Sox fans imagine Alex Rodriguez striking out during the playoffs. Given Rodriguez's success rates — or lack thereof — some New Englanders may feel justified in believing that their thoughts influence distant actions.

Ivy Leaguers are also no strangers to wishing ill on members of rival teams. In last Tuesday's men's basketball game against Penn (15-8 overall, 6-1 Ivy League), Tigers spectators may have felt they were successful in shutting down Penn guard Ibrahim Jaaber, who shot three for 11 from the field and ended the game with eight points.

Unfortunately for Princeton, its fans neglected to focus its extrasensory attention on forward Mark Zoller, who had 17 points and eight rebounds to lead Penn to a 48-35 victory.

Thankfully for Tiger fans, the study does not indicate that Princeton students should no longer attend sporting events.

"There's no harm in rooting for our favorite teams," Pronin said. "Having a sense of control ... can be healthy and comforting."