Be Smart

(atmosphere humming) - All right, here's the moment!

(people chattering distantly) Goin' in with Joe!

- It's game time!

(people chattering) (stadium music playing) (audience cheering) (upbeat music) (plane whooshing) - [Host] Make some noise, guys!

(audience cheering intensifies) (low music) Whoops.

(audience cheering) - Well, Joe is happy!

(fan screeching) I am not!

- We did it, baby.

Hey, smart people!

(soft cartoonish music) Joe here.

You probably know that (paper shuffling) I'm a scientist.

And maybe you know that I'm also a dad.

(paper shuffling) And you can probably guess that I am a fan (paper clicking) of all things nerdy.

These are things that define a big part of my identity.

But what you might not know is that I'm a huge fan of University of Texas Longhorn Sports, (paper clicking) especially football.

Or as we put it around here, (jacket shuffling) I bleed, burnt orange.

(Destin talking distantly) So, when my team wins, I am pumped.

I'm super happy.

(audience cheering distantly) I share a feeling of joy with thousands of people that I've never met.

But when they lose, (emotional music) I feel sad, angry, a whole list of negative emotions.

I take it very personally, (soft music) even though I'm just a fan, and I have no control over anything that happens on the field.

You probably know someone like this, or maybe you are someone like this.

Humans can develop intense relationships, even obsessions with the things that we love and admire.

A huge part of our identities, our emotions, and our lives get tied up in these things that we're fans of.

Now remember, I am a huge nerd, so (chuckling) I want to know why am I like this?

Why am I a scientist who tries to live my life according to logic and reason?

(graphics whooshing) (people chattering distantly) So irrationally attached to a football team.

(graphics whooshing) I think the answers to these questions can teach us a lot about why humans are the way we are.

So, I decided to study this in the best laboratory possible, the real world.

One of the biggest games of the college football season, featuring my Texas Longhorns versus longtime powerhouse, the Alabama Crimson Tide on their home turf.

(graphics whooshing) And I was able to find a local Alabama boy (Destin talking distantly) and Crimson Tide super fan to join me.

- The fact that I'm taking you into the Stadium.

- Mm-hmm.

- Is an act of extreme devotion to our friendship.

Like, this could be the end of our friendship.

What's about to happen with this game and all.

(silly suspenseful music) (graphics tinkling) Oh, gross.

(Joe chuckling) Your shirt.

- Oh?

- It's not as bad as Tennessee Orange, but it's not great.

(Joe laughing) - How big a fan of Alabama are you?

- Big one.

When Alabama went to the top 10 in our basketball team, I was holding a sign.

It went out on the AP.

It was a picture of me holdin' a sign that says "Alabama Number One."

- So, you went nationally famous for being an Alabama fan?

- Yeah, that happened.

- Well, nobody's perfect.

What does it mean to be a fan?

(soft music) Well, a fan is a person that has a strong psychological connection with something or somebody.

You can be a fan of a pop star or a movie franchise.

And of course, you can be a fan of sports teams.

Most of us are fans of something.

But have you ever actually asked yourself why you like the things you do?

Like most things about being human, not all of us experience being a fan in the same way.

Some of us are casual fans, but others have really strong psychological connections to what we're fans of.

(exciting music) It shapes our behavior, and even how we think about ourselves.

These people?

They're the super fans.

- My first words were roll tide.

- Okay.

So, psychologists have actually come up with a way to figure out how much of a fan a person is.

They use a test developed by a psychologist named Dan Wann, called the Sport Spectator Identification Scale.

The SSIS is a short seven question quiz that asks a person to think about how their fandom affects how they see themselves, how they behave, and how others perceive them.

The higher your score, the more you identify with your team, and the closer you are to being a scientifically-certified sports super fan.

(graphics whooshing) So, before the game, I gave this survey to as many super fans as I could find.

This is far from a scientifically-controlled experiment, but I think it'll give us an idea of just how big a part of our identities our fandom can be.

And after we observe all the ways different people experience super fandom, then we're gonna take what we learned (people chattering distantly) and try to crack the code on the psychology that makes this all tick.

All right, I'm gonna ask you some questions.

- Okay.

- Honest answers, okay?

I want you to gimme a ranking from one to five.

- Oh goodness, okay- - One is not at all, five is very much extremely.

Okay?

- Okay.

- How important is it to you that the Crimson Tide win?

- So, it's weird because Alabama is the best football team of all time.

(Joe chuckling) - Oh, okay.

- Yeah, so.

- Debatable fact.

(chuckling) - We're kind of used to winning, and that's bad.

I don't know!

So, I would say three.

Because at some point, you win so much that you can tell that the fan base gets used to it, and it's bad for your soul.

- Okay.

- And so, I think I'd say three.

- All right, so you won't feel too bad when you lose today then?

(Destin chuckling) (people chattering distantly) - Oh, it's five, it's my entire personality, it's gotta be.

- How important is it to you (fan shouting distantly) that the Longhorns win?

- [Fan] Hell, yeah!

- Five.

Five is high, right?

- Yeah!

- Okay, five, absolutely, six, maybe, six.

- [Joe] How important is it to you (people chattering distantly) that the Crimson Tide win every week?

- Oh, five, 100%.

- [Joe] What happens if they lose?

With your emotions, to your mental state- - Oh, gosh.

It's pretty bad.

I remember when we lost to LSU, and it was an away game.

(people chattering distantly) Bro, all of us in the car, we just like listened to super sad music, like on the way, 'cause we went to someone's like property to go watch it.

- During the season, how closely do you follow the Crimson Tide?

- Not as closely as I wish.

And I think that's just 'cause of the season of life I'm in right now.

There's just too much goin' on, and I can't pay attention as much as I want.

I'll watch the games.

I would say not as close as I should.

So, I'd say I follow it at a two.

Yeah.

- You're spending too much time on your YouTube channel.

- I am.

(Joe chuckling) I am, yep, and trying- - It's getting in the way of your football fandom.

- It is, it is.

(people chattering distantly) - [Joe] So, during the season, how closely do you follow Crimson Tide?

TV, message boards?

- Oh, all.

- [Joe] Twitter.

- So, I try my best to keep up with everything.

- I own the largest online message board community related to the University of Texas called Surly Horns.

It turns out that super fans really, really, really get into wanting to donate, contribute, build up a community.

- How often do you display Crimson Tide or Alabama logo, or paraphernalia at work, at home?

At school?

- Quite often.

I worked at a place in Tennessee as an intern, and the last day I worked, I went around, and I hid Alabama logos throughout the office.

In places where people would find them months later.

You pick up the phone and it was on the receiver.

You remember the old CDs or the DVD burnables- - Mm-hmm.

- Like the 15th one down, I'd put a logo right there.

- Oh, man, yeah.

(marching band playing distantly) - I always have something on me, and it's usually my ring.

I don't take my ring off even when I get married, I don't see myself getting rid of like wearing my University of Texas ring.

Like, it's always a part of me.

- How strongly do your friends and your family see you as a fan of the Crimson Tide?

- It's interesting because in our little circle, like my aunt, for example, is a bigger fan than any of us combined.

Outside of our immediate sphere, people view me as more of a Bama fan than I think I am.

Roll tide 'til I die.

Let's be clear.

(Joe chuckling) However, if we lose, I'm quick to make sure to compliment the other team on a good game.

Well, you were raised right, as they say in these parts.

(Destin chuckling) (Joe chuckling) - Okay.

(people chattering distantly) - [Joe] What's your name, Madison?

- Madison.

- Okay, I'm Joe by the way.

- It's nice to meet you, Joe.

So, I wrote The Horns down.

(graphics popping) - [Joe] I know.

- You know how it is.

- [Joe] Like I said, I'm immune to it.

It doesn't hurt anymore- - It's all right, it's gotta be this way today.

(Joe chuckling) - [Joe] What about your friends?

How strongly do your friends see you as a Crimson Tide fan?

Like they're like, "Oh, no, no, Jesus."

- Yeah!

I'd say five.

I'd say five.

(Joe chuckling) I also surround myself with like avid fans.

- How strongly do you see yourself as a Crimson Tide fan?

My first words were roll tide.

- Okay.

(laughing) (Joe's voice drowns) - My first words were roll tide.

- I think that makes a five- - And I'm pretty sure I went to Bama because of football.

We grew up in a family where college wasn't a huge deal, and so we identified with that university, and we're like, oh, it's time to go to University, Bama.

So, brainwashed is what you can say.

- Brainwashed, perfect.

(Destin chuckling) (people chattering distantly) - I live in Atlanta.

And like, my identity is wrapped around being a Tex fan, I'm not gonna lie.

- He grew his beard- - My beard, not a lie.

- To be burnt orange.

- [Joe] To match that color.

- My beard burnt orange, I was born to be a Longhorn fan.

(people chattering distantly) Even in any city in the country, it doesn't matter.

So, the slice is 100%.

Like, there's no like little bit anywhere else.

- This is somethin' that I've very passionate about, and really love to do.

(fan shouting distantly) And it's not just a weekend thing for me.

(Joe's voice drowns) - But I can't say that it's 180%.

- [Joe] You gotta save a little bit- - It's 60.

- [Joe] For your kids.

- 60%, yeah.

- How much do you dislike the Crimson Tides' rivals?

(chuckling) - I would say Tennessee is the most difficult to deal with.

I kind of, I sneaky like Auburn.

I would say Tennessee and Florida?

Nah.

(Joe chuckling) Not a thing.

- [Joe] How do you feel about Alabama's biggest rival?

(people chattering distantly) Let's say one of your kids brings wants to bring home somebody from Tennessee?

- Out of the question!

- [Joe] How 'bout Auburn- - Auburn?

Out of the question.

- [Joe] Georgia?

- I could deal with it.

- [Joe] LSU?

- Out of the question.

(band music playing distantly) - How much do you dislike the Oklahoma Sooners?

(people chattering distantly) - I'm just sorry, like if you're from anywhere outside the state of Oklahoma and you support that school, you've got problems!

- [Joe] How much do you dislike Alabama's rivals?

(fans laughing distantly) - Like Texas?

Strongly!

Strongly.

Like I said, I grew up in an SEC family, so that Auburn rivalry and that Tennessee rivalry, 'cause that's where I'm from, is very, very, very strong.

- [Joe] Your kid one day wants to bring home an Auburn fan for dinner.

- [Both] Not happening.

- How much do you dislike (people chattering distantly) the Oklahoma Sooners?

- 5.

Can we do 10?

- [Joe] Yeah- - I mean.

- 10!

- What's the scale?

- [Joe] 1 to 5, but.

- Yo, the 5 or I will go 50.

- Yeah.

(Joe chuckling) - How important is being a fan of the Crimson Tide to you?

- It's a big deal- - If that went away.

How big of a deal would that be?

- How could that go away?

(Joe chuckling) That can't go away.

I grew up here, and it was ordained (Joe chuckling) at my birth that I was gonna be a Bama fan.

And when you go to school in Alabama, you walk in, and they're like, "Hey, my name's Joey, what's your name?"

"Alabama or Auburn."

(Joe chuckling) I just can't imagine a reality or a parallel universe in which being a Bama fan is not an option.

- After talking to all these people, it became really clear that for them, (soft cartoonish music) being a sports fan isn't just about who wins and loses on the field.

It's a big part of these people's identity!

And that brings up a lot of big psychology questions.

Like, what makes people become fans in the first place?

Some of it has to do with where we live, how accessible the games are, even which colors we're more attracted to.

But researchers have found one of the most influential factors in super fandom is our connection to other people.

Some of the most influential people in our lives are our parents.

So, it's not surprising that so many of us become fans during our childhood.

And that gives us (chuckling) amazing videos of kids having some really big feelings about their sports teams.

Kids think in black and white.

Their brains and emotions aren't fully developed.

So, every time our parents approve of something, we're learning that that thing is good, and that we should like it, and emulate it.

So, our parents' fandom shapes what we like and what we become fans of.

That's Destin's story.

But for a lot of us, it's a combination of factors that turn us into fans.

Like for me, I was not born a UT fan.

My parents didn't go there, they weren't fans.

But there was a lot of social pressure for me to pick a Texas team when I went to school.

(chuckling) And then, when I started college at Texas, it changed again.

Sports became a crucial part of social bonding and a way to connect with people who would become my friends.

It even became a way for me to bond with my wife's family who definitely loved the Longhorns.

Now, I don't think about any of this higher level stuff when I'm cheering for my favorite team, but it's true!

It's there!

For me, becoming a UT fan felt like a choice.

But humans are social animals, and we're unconsciously shaped by the groups and cultures that we're a part of.

Psychology tells us that becoming a fan might not be the conscious decision that we think it is.

(people chattering) - Well, I mean, as far being a super fan, it's just tribalism.

Everybody's tribalistic, right?

I mean, we're tribalistic (fan shouting distantly) that way, right?

I was having drinks with a Alabama guy today!

I like that guy.

He was wearing the wrong color shirt, I'd fight that guy.

(Joe chuckling) (fan chuckling) It's just tribalism!

- A famous biologist named Edward O. Wilson explains that wanting to belong to a group (soft music) is part of what makes us human.

We want to form groups for safety and comfort.

He explains that having a tribe gives us meaning in a chaotic world.

But this also means we're wired to defend our group or tribe from other people.

Today, more and more people are finding social belonging in fandoms.

Swifties, Star Wars fans, BTS Army, they're all scratching the same psychological itch to be part of a group to belong.

It's kind of weird to think that our biology dictates what we love more than we consciously do.

But scientists have actually tested this.

In the '70s, researchers split a group of male high school students into two groups, just depending on which artists they preferred.

Then, students were given points which they could distribute to members of either group.

The more points you got, the more cash you received at the end of the experiment.

The catch, the more points you gave to members of your own group, the fewer points you had to distribute overall.

The researchers found that the boys overwhelmingly favored their own group.

Even when that meant that everyone got less money.

Experiments like this one show that humans will form groups almost automatically over anything.

And we're more likely to support our tribe, our group, even when it means that some people get treated unfairly.

Like, think back to what the fans we spoke with said about their most hated rivals.

Do you have kids?

(people chattering distantly) - Yes.

It's on the door, they know.

- [Joe] They cheer for Alabama?

- They cheer for Alabama.

If my son or daughter got a full ride scholarship to Auburn, I would pay first.

(fan laughing) - [Joe] You'd pay?

- I would pay.

I'd go in debt to pay.

I would do everything I could to discourage him from going to Auburn.

- [Joe] Today, man.

- 'Cause I would never wear those colors.

- How much do you dislike the Oklahoma Sooners?

- That's a negative.

(voices drown) You know what?

I've never met someone from Oklahoma that I like.

I'm just gonna be totally honest.

- They're a bunch of cheaters.

- Truly, there's some good people, but.

- I haven't met him yet?

- I haven't met him yet.

(Joe laughing) - Even I, a super logical scientist who knows about this in-group, out-group stuff (soft music) can fall into the same trap.

Like, you guys know, Dream the streamer?

(graphics whooshing) Well, one day I saw Dream wearing an Oklahoma Sooners jersey.

- [Audience] Woo!

- And my brain was like, (graphics swishing) nope, Dream bad!

Is dream actually bad?

No!

But my bias for my own group makes me think he is.

And that brings up another psychological question.

If fandom tends to divide us into us versus them, what benefit do we get from being a fan?

Well, according to psychologists, humans have these two competing needs.

We wanna be included in these groups, but we also wanna be seen as unique individuals.

We can sort of graph this out.

The vertical axis basically measures happiness.

The other axis measures individuality versus assimilating into a group.

And for most of us, we'd be unhappy being totally on our own, but we'd also be unhappy giving up our individuality like sheep.

So, we look for our own sweet spot, which researchers call optimal distinctiveness.

This sweet spot is different for different people.

When we're at the right level of optimal distinctiveness, for us, we're satisfying those two competing psychological needs at the same time.

Being accepted as part of a group and being recognized as special.

Super fandom gives us an ideal way to hit that point.

You can express your individuality, your unique fan experience while still belonging.

You can be you while being included in this big group social experience.

Of course, bad stuff can potentially come with being a super fan.

For instance, we're more likely to excuse bad behavior when people are members of our group.

But the good parts of fandom are huge.

Like sports and other fandoms bring people from different cultures, backgrounds, social classes together to cheer for a team.

What else in our world can do that?

And look, I get it.

It's uncomfortable to think about being a fan as our biological programming, pushing us towards joining a group.

But just because something's biological, doesn't make it less meaningful.

Think about it.

Being in love is just a pattern of chemicals and nerves firing in your brain.

But that doesn't take away from the specialness of it.

I think this psychology of super fandom is an especially important thing to think about now when it feels like the us versus them mentality is everywhere.

Making the world a chaotic, scary place.

Our mutual love of something can transcend our tribalism.

It can lead to beautiful human moments, where we reach across our differences to connect on a deeper level.

And if by this point, you're thinking that maybe all of this doesn't just apply to sports, you're not wrong.

So, at the end of the day, (people chattering distantly) (marching band music playing distantly) my Longhorns won the game.

Just like I knew they would because they're the best.

- Well, Joe was happy.

(audience cheering) I am not!

- We did it, baby!

- We did not do it.

- We've been there, I've been there.

(audience clapping) (audience cheering) - We're still friends!

- That was amazing.

I love being a fan.

But Dustin and I are still friends!

(soft cartoonish music) We spent the rest of the weekend hangin' out, doin' all sorts of friend stuff like ridin' tractors.

And even though Destin and I are big fans of our teams, we're even bigger fans of each other.