Whether we win or with whom we watch: How international sporting events link to life satisfaction and work motivation
Whether we win or with whom we watch: How international sporting events link to life satisfaction and work motivation
StatusVoR
Alternative title
Authors
Neumann, Meikel
Strauch, Annik
Boecker, lea
Diel, Kathi
Escher, Yannik A.
Muniak, Paweł
Oomen, Danna
Petrowsky, Hannes M.
Schwarz, leonie
Weber, Marcel
Monograph
Monograph (alternative title)
Date
2026-10
Publisher
Journal title
British Journal of Social Psychology
Issue
4
Volume
65
Pages
Pages
1-19
ISSN
0144-6665
ISSN of series
Access date
2026-08-07
Abstract PL
Abstract EN
International sporting events like the UEFA EURO 2024 provide a powerful natural context to study how social identity dynamics and social processes link to well-being and motivation beyond the sporting domain. In this pre-registered longitudinal experience-sampling study (N = 842; k = 2,414 post-game responses) across five European countries, we examined how social context (watching alone vs. with others) and game result (win vs. loss) link to spectators' life satisfaction and work motivation. Drawing on social identity and self-categorisation theory, we explored mediating processes including team, football, and national identity, as well as social processes—social connectedness and game-related socialising. Multilevel analyses revealed that watching games with others was unexpectedly associated with lower work motivation, an effect explained by alcohol consumption. The social context was unrelated to life satisfaction. Game result (i.e., a win) was positively related to life satisfaction and work motivation, mediated by social identities and social processes. These findings demonstrate that collective success—rather than shared spectating—coincides with positive psychological spill-overs from leisure to work. By situating these effects within a social identity framework, the study highlights how collective experiences relate to both evaluative well-being (i.e., life satisfaction) and motivational outcomes (i.e., work motivation) in everyday and organisational life.
Abstract other
Keywords PL
Keywords EN
experience sampling
international sporting events
life satisfaction
social context
social identity
work motivation
international sporting events
life satisfaction
social context
social identity
work motivation
Keywords other
Sustainable Development Goals
Exhibition title
Place of exhibition (institution)
Exhibition curator
Type
License type
Funder
Time range from
Time range to
Contact person name
Related publication
Related publication
Grant/project name
Grant number
Collections
Views
0Acquisition Date20.10.2022
Downloads
0Acquisition Date20.10.2022
Altmetrics©
Dimensions
Google Scholar
