Emotional games.

• Position: Sports - Effect of oxytocin on athletic performance - Brief article

Is playing football like falling in love? It's a question on scientists' minds as they try to figure out what role the brain chemical oxytocin (okseh-TOE-sin) plays in sports. Oxytocin (not to be confused with the drug Oxycontin) has long been known to promote bonds between mothers and newborns or couples falling in love; recent studies indicate that the chemical is also released during exercise. Now, research from the Netherlands suggests oxytocin may boost performance in team sports. Watching footage of World Cup soccer games, the researchers noticed that when a player made an...