The nail-biting action for fans when a Dodgers pitcher stares down a Blue Jays batter is as real to the body as any other spike in stress, say doctors who've felt the heart-pounding effects themselves.

"Fanxiety," as one cardiologist called it, is on display in short videos posted to social media, showing people pacing in their living room, tossing soft objects at the screen, or covering their eyes during pivotal moments in baseball, football, hockey , soccer and other sports.

When a fan watches their favourite team play, their eyes and ears gather information that goes to the brain, which primes the body to react — because they're emotionally invested, said Greg Wells, a scientist at Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto who studies exercise physiology.

"I teach how to stay calm, cool

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