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Choosing Your Sports Partners: Assessing Selection Preferences Through Observational and Experimental Studies
Rob Franken1, Hidde Bekhuis1, Jochem Tolsma1,2
1Radboud University Nijmegen.
Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport
|August 30, 2024
Summary
Emotional closeness, not skill, sustains sports partnerships. As activity increases, partners offering social comparison and knowledge become more desirable for maintaining physical activity.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Sports Science
- Network Analysis
Background:
- Maintaining physical activity is crucial for health.
- Social support and partnerships are known to enhance physical activity.
- The specific factors influencing the formation and continuation of sports partnerships are not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the determinants of sports partnership selection and continuation.
- To understand how different motivations and resources influence partner choice.
- To identify strategies for leveraging social networks to promote sports participation.
Main Methods:
- Study 1: Longitudinal ego-network analysis of 1,222 sports partnerships among 409 Dutch university students.
- Study 2: Discrete choice experiment assessing preferences for sports partners based on motivations (social comparison, knowledge, companionship, encouragement).
Main Results:
- Emotional closeness is a primary factor in the continuation of sports partnerships over time.
- Skill similarity does not significantly predict partnership stability.
- Sports setting (club, gym, informal) does not affect partnership stability.
- Individuals initially prefer partners emphasizing social aspects, but this shifts towards social comparison and knowledge as activity levels rise.
Conclusions:
- Emotional bonds are key to sustained sports partnerships.
- Partner preferences evolve with an individual's activity level, highlighting the importance of social comparison and expertise.
- Findings inform targeted interventions to promote physical activity through social networks.
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