On University of Connecticut Sports Science Week: How do social rituals bind us together?
Dimitris Xygalatas, associate professor of anthropology, looks at sports fans for clues.
Dr. Xygalatas is a cognitive anthropologist whose research combines laboratory and field methods to study human interaction in real-life settings. He has conducted several years of fieldwork in Southern Europe and Mauritius, and continues to go to the field each year. Before coming to UConn, he held positions at the universities of Princeton, Aarhus, and Masaryk, where he served as Director of the Laboratory for the Experimental Research of Religion (LEVYNA). At UConn, he directs the Experimental Anthropology Lab, which develops methods and technologies for quantifying behavior in real-life settings. He is affiliated with the Cognitive Science Program, the Connecticut Institute for the Brain and Cognitive Sciences, the Institute for Collaboration on Health, Intervention, and Policy.
What makes sports fans so passionate? Is it the thrill of competition, the skill of the athletes, or something else entirely? Recent research suggests that the most powerful emotional moments may not happen during the game itself, but in the rituals that surround it.
To explore this, we studied Brazilian football fans during a major cup final in the city of Belo Horizonte. Using wearable heart-rate monitors, we tracked their physiological responses before, during, and after the match—including a remarkable pregame ritual known as the Rua de Fogo, or Route of Fire.
Hours before kickoff, thousands of fans lined the avenue leading to the stadium, waiting for their team’s bus. When it appeared, the crowd erupted. Night turned into day as they ignited thousands of flares, creating a sea of pulsating light and smoke while chanting in unison.
The physiological data showed something extraordinary. This pregame ritual produced emotional arousal as intense as the most dramatic moments of the match itself. Even more striking, fans’ heart rates became synchronized, literally beating in unison. And this synchrony extended to those riding on the team bus, who showed the same pattern of arousal despite not actively participating in the ritual.
These findings reveal that sports fandom is not simply about watching. It’s about shared experience. Rituals like the Rua de Fogo transform crowds into cohesive groups, generating emotional synchrony that strengthens social bonds.
The implications reach far beyond sports. From concerts and political rallies to religious gatherings and public protests, understanding how shared rituals create unity offers insights into the social glue that binds communities, highlighting how physical presence and coordinated action shape our emotional lives.
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[PNAS] - Route of fire: Pregame rituals and emotional synchrony among Brazilian football fans
