Open Lecture: Is it a bad idea to be a football fan?

Part of the Festival of Social Science 2019 at NIESR. In recognition for its growing profile and its commitment to impact and engagement, NIESR was awarded an Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) from the Economic and Social Research Council in Spring of this year. As part of this, NIESR was delighted to host its first ever Festival of Social Sciences from 4th-9th November.

Using data from 40,000 people collected from frequent ‘pings’ to smart phones over 3 years, Peter Dolton's research finds that football – on average – makes us unhappier – so why would we anyone go through the psychological pain of following a football team? The lecture will attempt to explain this behavioural choice paradox and investigate why we go on following our teams, even though matches make us more unhappy on average.

Prof Peter Dolton is a Research Director at NIESR

Where: NIESR, 2 Dean Trench Street, London SW1P 3HE

When: 18.00 to 19.00 followed by a drinks reception

Registration: The event is free but places are limited. Please RSVP at foss [at] niesr.ac.uk to secure a place.

Please note: Due to the nature of NIESR's Grade II listed building, we are unable to provide step-free access to our facilities and the Library is not currently accessible to wheelchair users, or those with limited mobility. We apologise for the inconvenience. Please do let us know in advance how we can assist your visit to the Institute – we are happy to discuss alternative arrangement in order to access our events.

Peter relaxes before giving his lecture on "Is it a bad idea to be a football fan?"	Asking some difficult questions
No half-time oranges, just water!	Post-match analysis

All photos © Tim Stubbs Hughes / Grey Swan