Interesting Research

I read this news article in the newspaper today. I find it very interesting because it also reflects many Malaysian men. I for one can tell you that i will never stop loving United no matter how badly they fared. I wont comment about the relationship thing because i have no prior experience in that department. I also agree with the Scots that football give me a sense of national embarassment. Sad but true. Anyway, pay attention to the name of the research company who conducted the polls.

MEN are nearly twice as likely to walk away from a failing marriage as to abandon their struggling football team, research has revealed.

And the divorce rate would halve overnight if men showed the same commitment to their relationships as they did to their teams, according to a study by psychologist Dr Aric Sigman.

He found that around 94 per cent of men said they would never abandon their team, no matter how badly it performed, while 52 per cent would walk away from a relationship that was not working out.

Sixteen per cent admitted they would even go into debt to support their love of the beautiful game, according to the study, carried out for World Cup sponsors Duracell.

Dr Sigman, an associate fellow of the British Psychological Society, said: "If men showed the same fidelity, commitment, self-sacrifice and honesty towards their partners, the divorce rate would halve overnight."

In an increasingly uncertain world, where traditional values no longer dominate, football might have taken the place of former loyalties, he said.

Dr Sigman said: "In an age where politicians' loyalties are seen as chameleonic, where jobs and relationships come and go, loyalty is now reserved for something men feel they can actually believe in - football."

He added the survey also showed that football was an outlet for male emotion. Nearly 39 per cent of men questioned admitted they had cried tears of joy or woe over a football match.

Almost 32 per cent said the game had been instrumental in teaching them to bond with other men.

Dr Sigman said: "The Dad's Army generation would recoil in horror at the levels of vulnerability, emotion and sheer physical affection being openly displayed in front of millions of people by football players and fans today. Football, it seems, is being used as a catalyst to allow men to express emotion."

But the survey, involving 2,000 men across the UK, showed a marked difference in attitude between England and Scotland towards their national sides. Nearly 60 per cent of Englishmen said football gave them a sense of national pride, while 55 per cent of Scots said it caused them to feel a sense of national embarrassment.

The survey also revealed men's devotion to football. A quarter of those surveyed admitted they would miss a family funeral to watch a match, while more than half admitted they would travel to every UK stadium to watch an away game.

Pollsters TNS Global conducted the research for football World Cup sponsor Duracell.

Article sourced from news.scotsman.com. Written by Raymond Hainey.