Anyone who plays Ultimate Team will probably look at this and be astounded, given how many controllers must be broken per year as a result of conceding a last-minute goal.And in the days where in-game headset use was much more widely seen (or heard), you’d listen to your opponent screaming down their TV every time you scored a goal.Taking a scientific look at things, though, shows that there are genuine health benefits to playing.Researchers examined changes in heart rate, blood pressure and anxiety levels before, during and after a game of FIFA, and found that the participants generally reported a reduction in anxiety after the full-time whistle.As expected, blood pressure levels rose, particularly after an opposition goal, while heart rate was reported as being increased for all players who took part in the study.However, what was perhaps most remarkable in the findings was that the heart rate rise when goals were conceded or scored actually constituted a ‘moderate cardio workout’.

So, instead of going out for a walk or getting the exercise DVDs out, maybe a couple of high-scoring games of FIFA a day is the answer?

Those who play 30 games of FUT Champions a weekend would have no problem keeping up with exercise in that case.

A press release from the study explained more: “All players demonstrated an increase in heart rate while playing the game.

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“Heart rate responses were more elevated across the board when playing against an unknown player, reaching levels of a moderate cardio workout when goals were scored on other sides.

“Playing against an unknown player who really exists clearly caused a higher level of arousal, and goals scored against participants in those games had a marked impact on heart rate.

“The heart rate spikes in this condition approached up to 140 beats per minute, indicating a real surge in emotional activity when a goal is scored.

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"This kind of escalation is comparative to what individuals within our participant’s age range would see when engaging in a moderate cardio work-out such as a brisk walk (around 135 BPM).

“Despite blood pressure and heart rate results both indicating a surge in emotional activity and rage when playing the game, participants across the board pre and post all indicated a decline in anxiety.

“This shows that despite the commonality of experiencing “FIFA Rage’, playing the game can actually reduce the players’ perception of stress and anxiety.”