Mirroring in sports: to what extent does the activation of mirror neurons elicit the dynamics of emotional identification, and how can this engagement be strategically employed in neuromarketing?

This thesis explores the mirroring effect in sports, focusing on the psychological processes that drive spectator engagement. Specifically, the research addresses the question: “Mirroring in sports: to what extent does the activation of mirror neurons elicit the dynamics of emotional identification, and how can this engagement be strategically employed in neuromarketing?”. The core focus is to investigate how multi-sensory sports content triggers mirroring mechanisms in both fans and non-fans, translating neural activation into measurable emotional identification. Understanding the role of the mirror neuron system is crucial because it provides the biological explanation for empathy and resonance, allowing viewers to subconsciously internalize and replicate the emotions displayed on screen. The study was conducted using an explanatory sequential mixed methods design, comprising an initial quantitative phase based on a sample of 120 participants, followed by a qualitative phase characterized by two focus groups. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire where respondents were exposed to a curated selection of six videos relating to the Italian women’s and men’s national football teams, followed by statistical analyses. These analytical tools were implemented to measure how individual variables, such as baseline trait empathy, gender, and general sports interest, modulated the participants' emotional responses. The empirical findings reveal that sports stimuli successfully trigger high levels of emotional identification through the activation of mirroring mechanisms. However, this resonance is heavily dependent on individual baseline traits: highly empathetic individuals and committed sports fans demonstrated significantly stronger emotional engagement. The findings are highly significant as they provide actionable operative frameworks for strategic branding in the sports industry. Instead of relying on generic, costly mass-marketing, sports marketers can leverage these insights to design highly tailored, persuasive neuromarketing campaigns that align with the viewer's neural mechanisms.