The Flock: Happiness is in the Stands

Every Hopkins student is eager to grow and learn, always focused on the future. As we are the future generation of innovators and thinkers, we can get lost in the environment that encapsulates us and begin to drown in the work that we are constantly faced with.

What if we told you there was another side to JHU?

As our budding engineers, doctors, artists, politicians, writers, lawyers, and other super-cool professionals all sit in the stillness of Brody, the MSE Annex, or wherever they find peace with their books, happiness is awaiting in the The Flock, Hopkins sports’ student section.

There is a saying that goes, “It takes a village to build a village.” Here at JHU, we students form a village—or rather, a flock—and work together to make a home out of our nest. Each one of us relies on our nest to thrive, and what better way to express this sentiment than by taking time to come together and celebrate it. Taking some time to enjoy a game and support your peers allows you to focus on something non-academic for a while. Detaching yourself from the burden of carrying so much weight on your shoulders will uplift your emotional state.

Since we all are on the same team—“Hopkins student”—we recognize the beautiful gift of diversity that our student section offers, whether that be race, nationality, religion, gender, etcetera; the thread that ties us together is rooting for fellow Blue Jays to hold down our home fort.

Team identification is tied to social identity, which is to say that being part of a team gives us a social identity. According to a study done at the University of Kansas, team identification minimizes the adverse effects of depression and alienation. How does it make you feel to be synchronized with the person next to you? It’s great, isn’t it?

To paint a picture, imagine this: The Blue Jays are 14 points down and it’s the last quarter! The clock is ticking; there are only 4 minutes and 36 seconds left. The Nest is as silent as Bloomberg 272 during the Physics II ENG final. The Flock, all on the same wavelength, is thinking the same thing: “We can do it…” They’ve seen it before. Last time, it was a 16-point difference. However, the suspense is still there. Swish! Three pointer. Now, we’re 11 points down and there are exactly 4 minutes left on the scoreboard’s timer. The Nest bursts. Smiling faces, screaming voices, and standing ovations all around. A common sense of pride boosted by hope is now felt.

Feeling hope, encouraging our scholar-athletes, and having fun will release dopamine levels in your brain. Before you know it, the potion of happiness will have infiltrated your veins, even if it is in the smallest of doses.

So, follow us on Instagram for game times, giveaways, and all things Blue Jay. See you at the next game!