People who play sport are happier and luckier in love than those who don't

You might want to think about taking up a sport.

Image via Pixabay

A study of 1,000 people who play sports and 1,000 who don’t revealed big differences between the two groups.

A fifth of non-athletes are single, compared to only 13 percent of sports players, who are also more likely to be married.

That's just one of the findings of a study done on behalf of Old El Paso, which found those on a team have more friends, a better work-life balance, are physically fitter and even attend more parties than those who don’t.

Team members are naturally more sociable – attending three events or get togethers a week, in comparison to just one for non-sports players.

And 22 per cent of those surveyed for Old El Paso said playing team sports allows them to spend time with friends and family.

It also emerged 25 per cent of club members rate their physical health as ‘excellent’ and 28 per cent feel the same about their mental health.

Football (40 per cent), badminton (21 per cent) and basketball (16 per cent) were among the most popular team sports with 17 per cent of those who have attended a club even meeting someone they went on to marry via the sport.