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like giant darts stars luke littlersensational young talent from Warringtonhas helped to bring darts firmly into the mainstream, leading to a notable influx of newcomers to the game.
With 2026 PDC Worlds dart The championship is starting Alexandra Palace In London This Thursday, there’s even more excitement around it and we want to know what effect playing darts regularly can have on the brain.
We spoke to Dr Chris Gunn, senior lecturer in psychology Arden University And founder of a private sports and exercise psychology practice, who has outlined five key mental benefits associated with playing darts.
1. Improves focus and concentration
Playing darts regularly can help improve our concentration and focus through mindfulness.
“Darts is an ideal environment to develop mindfulness because it requires real focus and concentration, steady breathing and awareness of what’s going on in your body,” says Gunn. “You have to focus on the weight of the dart, where it will land, when you release it and eliminate any distractions.
“Darts also involve a lot of repetition in the throw, reset, throw, which gives you the opportunity to reset and refocus your attention. Doing this consistently helps you develop the ability to stay in the present and recover after small setbacks, which is mindfulness.”
2. Reduces stress and improves mood
People often report that playing some darts alone or with friends after a long day at work can be a great stress reliever.
“We’re a bit stronger to compete, so sports like sports and darts provide us with a really healthy outlet for that, which can be really useful for relieving stress and feeling good,” says Gunn. “Also, if you are paying full attention to what you are doing in the present moment, such as throwing a dart, your attention will not drift to worry and be distracted by other things.
“There’s a lot of research on mindfulness and how it’s linked to things like anxiety, mood, resilience and how it can help you manage pressure and stay calm when things aren’t going your way.”
3. Increases self-confidence
Mastering all the skills required for darts can have a massive impact on your confidence levels.
“Something like darts, which we might consider a casual activity, may actually be much more than that,” says Gunn. “It can become a very meaningful part of your life and be a significant contributor to self-esteem, confidence and overall well-being because it helps fulfill our basic psychological potential.
“Each throw will give you instant feedback, so you can see yourself improving in real time which helps build a sense of competence and mastery. Just getting a little bit better each session is really rewarding and keeps people engaged.”
4. Helps foster a sense of belonging and community
Another basic psychological need that playing darts helps fulfill is relatedness, the fundamental human drive to feel connected, highlights the psychology lecturer.
“Darts can be a really social thing as you can join local leagues, pub teams or even play with friends or family at home,” says Gunn. “It can help develop a sense of community, which helps satisfy our basic psychological need for relatedness.
“Humans are a social species and we are hardwired to be around other people. It feels good to be around other people and laugh and enjoy the company of other people, so playing darts with others can be really worthwhile.”
5. Enhances neuroplasticity
Playing darts can help increase neuroplasticity by providing a mental workout.
Gunn explains, “Neuroplasticity is essentially when your brain is rewiring itself to meet new demands that come in, and we have a very plastically shaped brain when we’re younger, so we want to maintain levels of neuroplasticity and develop it as we get older.”
“Darts provides a mental challenge because you are adding numbers and learning different rules and variations of the game of darts and this can help develop our brain’s ability to adapt and adapt to the input we are given. Things like hand-eye co-ordination and mathematical challenges within darts will definitely help develop this.”