Playing mixed doubles in sports can easily lead to feelings.

"Beyond pickleball" - a joke about romantic relationships that go beyond teammates when playing mixed doubles in sports - is a topic of interest to scientists.

Men and women easily develop feelings from pairing up - Photo: PB

Doubles is really emotional

Surely everyone has been teased by friends about a relationship "beyond teammates" when playing doubles with someone of the opposite sex, in racket sports such as pickleball, tennis, badminton...

But that is absolutely no joke, because from the perspective of modern psychology and neuroscience, this is a real topic.

Experts have pointed out that regularly playing doubles with the opposite sex not only trains coordination skills, but also inadvertently creates an ideal environment for romantic feelings to arise.

According to analysis by Dr. Karen Mitchell, a social psychologist at Stanford University (USA): "Double sports are one of the rare models that combine all three elements that create affection: close interaction, common goals, and strong emotional experiences."

This is especially true when two people must constantly coordinate tactics, move in sync, and share states of ecstasy, sadness, regret, empathy, and encouragement with each other.

Biologically, this phenomenon is explained by neurological mechanisms. When people experience a state of high excitement - such as the excitement of a score or the tension of a decisive series - the body secretes adrenaline, a hormone that creates a feeling of excitement and increases the heart rate.

If this emotion occurs in the presence of the opposite sex, the brain may mistakenly attribute the cause to the other person, rather than to the situation, a phenomenon that scientists call “misattribution of arousal.”

Many studies have shown that

There is a classic experiment in psychology, called the "shaky bridge" - conducted by two scientists Donald Dutton and Arthur Aron in 1974.

They conducted this experiment on the famous Capilano Suspension Bridge in Canada, which is famous for its danger. A girl was allowed to interact with boys, trying to exchange phone numbers by chance while passing by.

The results showed that the rate of guys calling the girls back afterwards was extremely high, compared to another survey based on normal conditions.

This is proof of the emotions that arise when two people of the opposite sex experience a dramatic, suspenseful situation...

When translating that situation to doubles sports, researchers suggest that intense matches can act as “emotional catalysts,” promoting psychological closeness between two people similar to a “shaky bridge.”

Additionally, partner sports activities stimulate the secretion of oxytocin - often referred to as the "bonding hormone".

This substance increases when people feel trust, support each other, and make physical contact in behaviors such as clapping and patting each other on the back.

According to a 2017 study by a group of scholars at Oxford University (UK), pairs of rowers had higher oxytocin levels than groups who practiced alone, and showed greater levels of psychological attachment after the session.

In terms of neurology, modern science has also discovered an interesting phenomenon called “inter-brain synchrony” - brain wave synchronization between two individuals working together.

Mixed doubles brings many emotions to both genders - Photo: PB

In pair sports, moving, reacting, and adjusting speed together creates compatible motor rhythms, helping the brains of two people “synchronize” in areas that process social emotions.

In other words, not only the body but also the brain becomes more in tune with each other when paired up for long periods of time - a factor that increases the risk of developing emotions that go beyond team boundaries.

There are many examples in the world of elite sports that show how camaraderie on the football and badminton courts can turn into real love. From Roger Federer and Mirka Vavrinec (who met at the Sydney Olympics), Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi (through exhibition doubles matches), to Lin Dan and Ta Hanh (who have been together since their badminton days)...

And like the popular social media meme these days—"beyond pickleball"—these scientific studies make for a practical reminder: be careful about playing mixed doubles in sports, especially if you're married.

If you are single, playing doubles sports means opening up new opportunities in love.

HUY DANG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/choi-danh-doi-nam-nu-trong-the-thao-de-nay-sinh-tinh-cam-2025071620002079.htm