Men are more likely to express their feelings while watching or playing soccer, according to a pre-World Cup survey.

Nearly two-thirds of the men said they are more willing to share emotions with other men while engaged in soccer-related activities and around 73% of those surveyed said that hugging a male friend while watching a match would not embarrass them.

The survey of 500 men was performed by the Mental Health Research Foundation, an independent organization that tries to improve British citizens' mental health.

"It's encouraging that football [soccer] makes it easier for men to talk about their feelings, as traditionally men are far less likely than women to share their innermost thoughts," said Andrew McCulloch, chairmen of the foundation.

However, most of the men - about 75% - said they never got so carried away by emotion that they cried when the team they were rooting for lost a match.