by Sharon Norris
With the World Cup fast approaching, many women will be despairing at the thought of non-stop football for a month. However, before they reach for the remote control, they should perhaps take heed of new research released this week by the Mental Health Foundation, which shows that watching football is good for men's mental health.
Of the 500 men who took part in an online survey organised by the charity, 64 per cent said they thought football made it easier for men to show their emotions. A further 76 per cent said they would not be embarrassed to hug their friends when watching a game.
Although just under half the men surveyed (49 per cent) said they would be embarrassed to cry in front of their friends at any time, nearly 40 per cent admitted that they might cry while watching a match.
Statistics show that it is still mainly men who watch football, and only 14 per cent of women are likely to tune in to TV coverage of next month's tournament. However, commenting on the findings of the study, the Mental Health Foundation's Chief Executive, Dr Andrew McCulloch, said: "It is encouraging that football makes it easier for men to talk about their feelings as, traditionally, men are far less likely than women to share their innermost thoughts".
This inability to talk about feelings is thought to be one reason why suicide is the most common cause of death in men under 35. Fortunately, perhaps, it is men in this age group who are most likely to attend football games.
Psychologists have become increasingly interested in the effects of football on mood in recent years. Among the ways watching 'the beautiful game' is thought to improve mental health is by helping to create a sense of identity among supporters and by aiding the process of forming and strengthening relationships.
When a team does well, fans are able to bask in the reflected glory, or 'BIRG'. This has an uplifting effect not only on the mood of individuals, but of the wider community say psychologists.
"It is encouraging that football makes it easier for men to talk about their feelings as, traditionally, men are far less likely than women to share their innermost thoughts"
On the other hand, pre-match pessimism can also be good for mental health, as the refusal to believe there might be a good result helps people develop ways of protecting against disappointment. This is sometimes known as 'CORF' or 'cutting off reflected failure'.
However, the new research suggests that football can also have negative effects. 58 per cent of those surveyed admitted becoming aggressive when watching football, while 11 per cent said they had got involved in a fight while watching a game. A further 59 per cent said they were likely to drink more because of the World Cup.
Also, although exercise is good for mental health, and while 70 per cent of the men surveyed said it was better to play than watch football, 35 per cent never played at all, and 25 per cent said they played only once or twice a year.
Nevertheless, it seems that, overall, football has a positive effect on men's mental health if not always on their physical wellbeing.
There are, obviously, dangers in becoming too obsessed, and the charity's website warns that being too fanatical 'can... have a negative impact on male female relationships and may divert attention away from other familial responsibilities'.
However, most men, it seems, do have a sense of perspective. Any woman who feels neglected during the next month can take heart from the fact that 63 per cent of the men surveyed said they would prefer to have sex than follow England's World Cup campaign on TV, while the vast majority (86 per cent) would rather see their first child being born than watch a match.