Research from Xi'an Jiaotong University Provides New Study Findings on Anxiety Disorders (How do anxiety and stress affect soccer referees? An ERPs study).

A study conducted by researchers at Xi'an Jiaotong University in China explored how anxiety and stress affect the decision-making process of soccer referees. The study involved 76 experienced referees who were divided into high anxiety and low anxiety groups. The researchers used Event-Related Potential (ERP) technology to compare the brain signals of referees with different anxiety levels when facing foul play under different pressure environments. The study found that referees with high levels of anxiety displayed larger brain signal amplitudes in a low-pressure environment, but no significant differences were observed under high-pressure conditions. The findings highlight the importance of understanding and managing the psychological state of referees in competitive sports to improve the quality of their decisions. [Extracted from the article]