THE MOST TOUCHY NBA TEAM WINS

With the NBA playoffs underway, you might want consider how much the players slap each other on the butt or do high fives when making your bets on the winner. Touch enhances cooperation and reduces anxiety, and new research suggests that it might even improve a team’s performance on the court.

Collaborators at UC Berkley counted the celebratory contact such as fist bumps and head slaps among all 30 NBA teams early in the 2008-2009 season. They also looked at cooperative behavior such as passing and setting blocks. Finally, they analyzed individual and team performance over the season.

Teams that touched more cooperated more, which made them play better throughout the season. Touch appeared to solidify relationships and make players work better together.

To test this theory, watch tonight’s game four playoff contest between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Phoenix Suns. Try to count the incidences of players touching on each of the teams. Count up the final number and see if the team that touches the most really wins.

THE MOST TOUCHY NBA TEAM WINS

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