By Stephen Beech

Football fans ' brain activity goes to "extremes" while watching a match, reveals new research.

The findings may explain why otherwise rational people suddenly “flip” at matches, say scientists.

Researchers in Chile found that certain circuit regions of the brain were activated in fans while watching their team play, triggering extreme positive and negative emotions and behavior.

They say these patterns could apply to other types of fanaticism as well, and that the circuits are forged early in life.

The research team explained that football provides a useful model for studying social identity and emotional processing in competitive situations as fans exhibit a broad spectrum of behaviors, from spectatorship to intense emotional engagement.

Rivalries run deep, and f

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