Post by Myriam Gérardy

What football can teach us about the fear of feeling hopeful 🏟️ On Friday (June 26) I had the pleasure of sharing insights from our research on dampening of positive affect in two radio interviews with VRT NWS: on Radio 2 and another on Het Kwartier 📡 We discussed how some invididuals may dampen or downplay positive emotions to cope with the anticipation of possible disappointment. As the Belgian Red Devils were heading into a thrilling match, many Belgian fans may have had the tendency of suppressing feelings of hope or enthusiasm. ⚽️At first, this way of thinking may feel like a comforting strategy to be emotionally prepared in case things go wrong. ⚽️However, simultaneously one also misses out on the pleasure of watching sports together. ⚽️Do you dare to feel hopeful? A heartfelt thank you to my co-authors and (co-)PhD supervisors Dr. Liesbeth Bogaert , Prof. Dr. Michelle G. Newman, Prof. Dr David Hallford, and Prof. Dr. Filip Raes for your invaluable collaboration and support!