NEWS FROM ZAVVI.COM

The World Cup Comedown
Psychologists Braced For Nationwide ‘Post Tournament Depression’

Recent research from zavvi.com has shown that during the 2010 World Cup South Africa, the average British male thought about football 43 times a day, watched nearly 30 hours of the sport on TV and spent over £400 on World Cup merchandise and entertainment, causing psychologists to warn that up to 40% the UK’s football fanatics are at risk of developing PTD (Post Tournament Depression). This is underlined by additional findings from the football fan survey in which:

• 62% admitted that every social conversation they engaged in revolved around football
• 36% lied to a partner or boss regarding their whereabouts to watch matches in the pub
• 21% missed or turned up late for important appointments due to watching games on TV
• 15% abstained from sex or cancelled a date to avoid not missing a key match
• 6% experienced relationship breakdowns during the tournament

After studying the behaviour of football fans and the survey findings, renowned Psychologist Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic has categorised the World Cup as a genuine addiction for many men and predicts a widespread emergence of men suffering from P.T.D. – a new psychological state associated with the ‘come down’ experience which follows the adrenaline-fuelled month of World Cup action.

Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic said: “We saw early signs of this with in patients when England were first knocked out of the World Cup, but expect it to worsen now that the tournament has ended. One of the biggest issues is that many people won’t recognise the Symptoms of PTD, which can range from boredom to clinical depression, all dependent on the severity of one’s addiction”.

It has been estimated that up to four million football fans in the UK may experience some level of P.T.D. in the weeks following the World Cup final. To help combat this, Dr. Chamorro-Premuzic has produced a free downloadable guide to P.T.D. which is hosted on the zavvi.com website. The guide identifies the symptoms of the P.T.D. and suggests a variety of ways to self-treat it. Visit www.zavvi.com/ptd