500 simulated runs500 personas4 simulation batches
The mental side of football
How do players deal with mistakes during a match?
Where the numbers come from
The data comes from language-model simulations. A model generates personas with a biography, life situation and resistances, then plays out three months for each one — from first encounter to everyday life after month 3. We evaluate the feelings reported per stage, the share of personas still active, and satisfaction.
These are not real people and not usage data. They are simulated journeys we use to test content before anyone sees it. The numbers show how a language model models these situations — they are not an empirical statement about any population and do not replace a study.
Which feelings dominate
Share of all reported feelings across the whole journey.
- satisfied23.7 %
- surprised15.6 %
- proud14.2 %
- curious10 %
- motivated6.8 %
- relieved5.5 %
- frustrated4.2 %
- sceptical3.8 %
The journey across three months
Per stage: how many personas are still there, how satisfied they are on average (scale 0–10) and which feelings are reported most often at that point.
| Stage | still there | satisfaction | most frequent feelings |
|---|---|---|---|
| First encounter | 100 % | 7.1 | curious 41.2 % · sceptical 23.7 % · relieved 14.4 % · surprised 10.3 % · hopeful 5.2 % |
| Start screen | 100 % | 7 | surprised 52.7 % · curious 28.4 % · neutral 5.4 % · eager 4.1 % · sceptical 2.7 % |
| Getting started | 100 % | 7 | frustrated 40 % · surprised 23.3 % · relieved 6.7 % · curious 6.7 % · motivated 6.7 % |
| Describing their own situation | 100 % | 7 | eager 30 % · motivated 17.5 % · relieved 15 % · surprised 10 % · curious 10 % |
| First exercise | 100 % | 7.8 | surprised 72.7 % · excited 4.5 % · elated 4.5 % · satisfied 3 % · sceptical 3 % |
| Week 1 | 100 % | 7.2 | motivated 34.9 % · proud 17.5 % · frustrated 11.1 % · eager 11.1 % · curious 9.5 % |
| Everyday life after week 1 | 100 % | 7.2 | proud 29.5 % · satisfied 29.5 % · elated 9 % · surprised 7.7 % · motivated 6.4 % |
| Month 1 | 97 % | 6.6 | relieved 22.4 % · motivated 18.4 % · frustrated 18.4 % · proud 16.3 % · angry 6.1 % |
| Everyday life after month 1 | 96 % | 7.2 | satisfied 45.3 % · proud 34 % · motivated 6.6 % · surprised 3.8 % · elated 2.8 % |
| Month 3 | 79 % | 7 | satisfied 49.3 % · proud 13.4 % · indifferent 10.4 % · neutral 9 % · relaxed 6 % |
| Everyday life after month 3 | 77 % | 7.2 | satisfied 66.1 % · proud 18.8 % · grateful 11.6 % · elated 1.8 % · indifferent 0.9 % |
How to cite
Dojitai (2026): The mental side of football. Simulation data: 19,494 runs across 22 everyday topics. https://dojitai.ch/en/daten/football-mindsetDownload JSON