UNDERDOG: The science that has you rooting for the team that isn’t supposed to win

March Madness is officially underway and Friday night Wright State University will be the underdog playing as the No. 16 seed against No. 1 seed Arizona.

You may find yourself jumping on the underdog bandwagon and your brain is what’s driving you there.

>> Wright State looks for massive upset against Arizona in NCAA Tournament tonight

“It’s almost gratifying when folks that are supposed to win don’t,” said Jamey Houle, a sports psychologist with The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

Houle says there’s a science behind the desire to pull for the underdog.

First, we can relate to the team, even if we’re not aware of it.

“What it makes us believe is that maybe at some point we may be able to do something great,” Houle said. “Overcome some kind of odds that seem overwhelming.”

There’s always an expectation that the best teams will win, but when it doesn’t happen, Houle says we can find joy in the unexpected.

“When we see people who are really great mess up, it makes us go, oh OK cool maybe I’m not that different than everybody else,” she said.

Many times fans root against a team as much as they root for one. Houle says that’s our brain’s way of wanting things to be fair.

“We want justice and we want things to be equal and when they’re not equal that doesn’t really feel good to us,” Houle said.

And finally, we often find an unexpected outcome to simply be more exciting.

“We want chaos, because it’s more fun to watch than the regular things we do everyday,” she said.

Chaos hit the NCAA men’s tournament Thursday night when No. 2 seed University of Kentucky was upset by No. 15 seed Saint Peter’s.

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