How stressful is watching the World Cup? Scientists tested me to find out

Is watching England in the World Cup bad for your health?Image caption, Prof Damian Bailey hooks James up to scientific equipment to track his responsesByJames GallagherHealth and science correspondentPublished23 June 2026, 00:27 BSTUpdated 4 hours agoSupporting England is an emotional rollercoaster.There's the nervous anticipation as the national anthems rings out around the stadium, the thrill of Kane smacking the ball in the goal, and the ecstasy of victory. And there's that sinking feeling too when we let a lead slip, the dread of a penalty shoot-out and the despair of losing to Italy and then Spain in the last two Euros finals. You can feel your heart race and your hands get clammy as you experience every kick of the ball.Clearly, watching football influences the body - but is it good or bad for our health?To find out I persuaded two scientists from the University of South Wales to put national pride to one side and join me for a little experiment during England's opening World Cup match.They packed up their lab into the boot of a car, and we met in the Wiper and True Taproom in Bristol. I do love the researcher's homeland, but we all agreed that "scientifically" we should avoid doing the experiment in a Welsh pub and hopped across the border.Wires, gizmos and cuffsTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.This video can not be playedFigure caption, James and the crowd react to Harry Kane's dramatic penalty against CroatiaWe arrive early and camp out at the back of a row of benches with a good view of the projector screen. Then the expensive scientific kit comes out."None of this is beer-proof let alone waterproof," says Prof Damian Bailey, with only the briefest flicker of somebody regretting their life choices.Damian and his PhD student Danny Walmsley spend about 15 minutes wiring me up as I slowly morph into some kind of partially robotic lifeform.My left arm and hand are enveloped in a mass...