Coaches: do you really want to win the game? Smile! It appears that coaches’ emotional expressions have a crucial influence on their teams’ performances.
Happy communication with the players improves the team’s chances of winning according to findings that emerged from a new study undertaken jointly at the University of Haifa and the University of Amsterdam examining teams in amateur leagues.
“Alongside all the professional and tactical demands, coaches need to know that their emotions also influence the team’s performance, for better or for worse,” explained Dr. Arik Cheshin from the University of Haifa, one of the authors of the study.
Sport games are recognized as highly emotional settings, beyond the obvious emotions entailed by winning or losing. The researchers explain that emotions play a vital role that influences various aspects of the game; for example, excitement lengthens response times and impairs the players’ concentration and motor functions.
Many of the studies that examine emotions and their impacts are undertaken in laboratories. This enhances the researchers’ control of the participants’ stimulation and emotions.
However, the present study, which was published in the journal Psychology of Sport and Exercise and led by Prof. van Kleef from the University of Amsterdam, along with Dr. Cheshin, from the Department of Human Services at the University of Haifa, Dr. Koning and Dr. Wolf from the Psychology Department of the University of Amsterdam, was carried out entirely in the field – in the “real world.”
The researchers sought to examine the impact of the coaches’ emotions on the groups they train. How do their anger or happiness influence the players’ emotions and their performance of their tasks during the game?
The study was comprised of two sub-studies. The first was conducted among 30 baseball and softball teams, including a total of 268 players, who were asked to complete a questionnaire after the end of the game.
The second study was conducted among 30 soccer teams. In this study, 376 players were asked to complete questionnaires at several points: before the game began, at half-time, and after the game ended. The players completed the questionnaires after the coaches’ pep talks before the game and at half-time.
The main finding from both studies was that sports coaches play a function in directing the team’s emotions – naturally, alongside their professional and tactical functions.
“The coaches’ emotions have a crucial influence on the team’s performances. Expressions of happiness directed at the players before the game begins will increase the chances of leading at half time, independently of differences in the league standings of the two teams,” Dr. Cheshin explains.
The studies also found that when coaches express happiness, the players interpreted this as a form of feedback, assuming that they were performing their instructions more successfully and that the coaches were happy with them. When coaches expressed anger, the players assumed that this meant that they were performing their task less well. Moreover, the coaches’ emotions “infected” the players: their emotions were transmitted to the team. The players felt happy when the coaches expressed happiness, and anger when the coaches conveyed this emotion – regardless of their performances in the game.
“The expression of emotions plays a crucial factor in interpersonal relations,” Dr. Cheshin concluded. “The coaches’ emotions infect the players, provide them with information, and ultimately influence their performances. The coaches’ emotions can make the difference between winning and losing the game.”