STAY CALM AND GRAB A SLICE. COOKING A PIZZA REALLY CAN CALM YOUR NERVES
- BIOMETRIC STUDY FEATURING PITCHSIDE’S THEO BAKER, SCIENTIFICALLY PROVES THAT PIZZA REDUCES FOOTBALL- INDUCED NERVE LEVELS, EVEN BEFORE KICK OFF
- THE EXPERIMENT, WAS CONDUCTED BY CHICAGO TOWN AFTER A POLL REVEALED 92% OF THOSE SURVEYED ADMITTED TO FINDING ASPECTS OF THE GAME STRESSFUL
Great news for nervous footie fans – after scientists revealed the smell of a pizza cooking can lower nerves levels before watching a football game.
Ahead of the summer tournament, Chicago Town has partnered with University of East Anglia’s Professor Oli Buckley to conduct a biometrics study, testing if pizza can reduce nerves pre and during football matches.
Pitchside podcaster, Theo Baker, was hooked up by the professor measuring his blood pressure, heartrate and Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) both before and during some of the most iconic nerve-wracking moments in footballing history.
The study, in partnership with the UK’s number one frozen pizza brand,[1] used the brand’s Takeaway Weekender Stuffed Crust Salt and Pepper Chicken pizza, concluded that while in the vicinity of fresh-rising dough, cheese, tomato and taaaasty toppings, Theo showed less signs of nerves ahead of a crunch game, with the pizza providing a calming and relaxing effect.
Theo’s results are revealed to show:
| Watching without pizza | Watching with Chicago Town pizza | Result | |
| GSR | 2.02 μS | 1.17 μS | Reduction |
| Heart rate | 68bpm | 48bpm | Reduction |
| Blood pressure | Avg 135/78 mmHg | Avg 128/68 mmHg
|
Reduction |
Professor Oli Buckley said: “Pizza and football go hand-in-hand – and it seems this has a scientific reason following our experiment.
“The study shows that from GSR, heart rate and the blood pressure measurements that reduces the physiological markers of arousal and stress.
“Assessing Theo’s reactions in the two conditions, one without the pizza and one with pizza, showed that with the combined data that cooking and eating frozen pizza has a notable calming effect.”
Football vlogger, Theo Baker said: “Football is, by far, the thing that brings on the most nerves for me in life so when I had the opportunity to see if getting stuck into my favourite food could help with that in any way…I jumped at it.
“I knew cooking a pizza at home straight away eliminates any takeout stress of not knowing what I’ll get or when, but I didn’t expect even the smell of it cooking to make such an impact. ‘Net’ outcome? Whack a pizza in the oven, sit back and let the guys on the pitch take care of the rest!”
The scientific experiment follows a study of 2,000 football fans which found the overwhelming majority (92 per cent) find aspects of watching the game stressful. Top of the list is penalty shootouts (37 per cent), followed by waiting for the final whistle to blow when narrowly leading a game (23 per cent), and VAR decisions (22 per cent).
For 40 per cent of those polled, cheering on their club team is a nervier experience, while 19 per cent find watching their international play is most stressful. Although 34 per cent find both equally difficult. And the nerves tend to start during the build-up to a game for 35 per cent – especially a match of some significance.
All of which begs the question – ‘why do they put themselves through it?’ – and 31 per cent admit they ask themselves that very question.
29 per cent admit if their team loses it puts them in a bad mood ‘for days’ after the game. So perhaps it’s no surprise 73 per cent employ coping techniques – particularly when watching a match.
These include sitting on the edge of their seat (22 per cent), and taking deep breaths (16 per cent). But if the scientific experiment is anything to go by, cooking a frozen pizza should be something they’ll consider in the future.
Further to this, the survey carried out through OnePoll also identified what those polled consider the positive effects of the smell of a pizza while it’s cooking to be.
Around four in 10 (42 per cent) said a feeling of comfort, while 28 per cent said it boosts their mood, and 17 per cent said it fills them with an excited sense of anticipation.
Rachel Bradshaw, Marketing Manager at Chicago Town said: “We understand football is a nerve-wracking passion for many fans, so we wanted to discover if our Stuffed Crust pizzas could calm the nerves and would help make the experience a bit more enjoyable and we knew partnering with a footie fan like Theo would give us the most honest results.
“While we were confident that the alluring aroma produced while our pizzas are cooking in the oven would have some kind of positive impact, even we were surprised at the effect our pizza had on Theo…but the results speak for themselves!
“With almost a third of people (24 per cent) already worried about hosting and having enough food for their family and friends for the tournament, we hope that our tasty selection of frozen pizzas will be a top choice in people’s freezer ready for the matches – and keep the family calm too.”
Chicago Town is helping footie fans across the nation to calm their nerves, offering one fan the chance to win an epic tournament prize bundle complete with plenty of pizza vouchers and a Sky Glass TV with sports package. Plus, 50 runners up will also win a limited-edition, Chicago Town relaxing head massager. Nervous footie fans can enter the competition via Chicago Town’s Instagram page.