SEB JOWETT, EPSOM
WHY DO WE ENJOY WATCHING OTHER PEOPLE FIGHT?
Since time immemorial, humans have competed against each other in activities that have real-life survival value, be that throwing a javelin, jousting, boxing or wrestling. This makes sense from an evolutionary point of view, as those who honed these skills were more likely to survive when faced with a real-world conflict. Watching combat sports such as boxing and wrestling is an extension of that habit, with all the thrill but none of the personal danger.
Of course, some of us find such thrills more appealing than others. A survey at Indiana University Bloomington, US, of hundreds of undergrads found that those with more risk-seeking personalities, who said they enjoyed feelings of fear, derived more pleasure from watching mixed martial…
