A new study of more than 4,000 men found that believing that masculinity negatively influences one’s behavior is associated with lower psychological well-being. The findings shed light on the relationship between social perceptions of masculinity and an individual’s mental health, challenging previous notions that masculine attitudes are inherently harmful or harmful. This research International Journal of Health Sciences.
For decades, masculinity has been a topic of both public and academic debate. Historically, characteristics such as being active, dominant, and self-contained were synonymous with masculinity. However, since the 1980s, a notable change has occurred. Masculinity is now viewed through a more critical lens and is often associated with negative traits such as misogyny and homophobia, and is associated with issues such as poor mental health and aggressive behavior. Associated.
This shift was partly facilitated by sociological theory, leading to what has been called the “defective model” of masculinity, which focuses primarily on its negative aspects. But how accurate is this negative portrayal, and what impact does it have on men’s mental health? This was the central question guiding the researchers in this wide-ranging study.
“Globally, suicide rates for men are around three times higher than for women, but the reasons for this tend to be overlooked or misunderstood,” said study author and study co-founder John Barry. Stated. Men’s Psychology Center He is also the author ofPerspectives on male psychology: An introduction.”
“When I began researching male psychology more than a decade ago, I based my hypothesis on the prevailing explanation at the time that poor mental health and suicide were linked to masculinity. Since the findings did not convincingly support this hypothesis, we looked further into existing research and found that much of it does not appear to be based on the realities of men’s mental health and suicide. , which turns out to be based on a shockingly negative view of masculinity.”
The study was a comprehensive online survey conducted among 2,023 men in the UK and 2,002 men in Germany. The survey was designed to collect a wide range of data, asking about demographic details such as age, marital status and employment, as well as more subjective areas such as personal values and health status. .
A key part of the study was the Positive Mindset Index, a tool used to measure psychological positivity. This scale consists of questions designed to assess feelings of well-being, confidence, control, emotional stability, motivation, and optimism.
The survey also includes several questions specifically related to masculinity to understand how men perceive its influence on their lives. These questions were grouped into categories that reflect whether men think masculinity has a negative or positive impact on them, or is irrelevant in today’s society.
Men who reported higher levels of satisfaction with their personal growth had significantly higher levels of psychological positivity. This was the strongest predictor of mental health in both countries. Contrary to the stereotype that happiness declines with age, the study found that older men reported higher levels of psychological positivity. Men who were satisfied with their health also reported feeling more positive mentally.
Perhaps most notable, the study found that men with less negative views of masculinity reported higher levels of psychological positivity. This was particularly evident in the UK sample. In other words, when men disagreed with statements such as “My masculinity prevents me from talking about how I feel about my problems,” they tended to have a better overall mental outlook. about it.
In Germany, not only less negative views of masculinity correlated with improved mental health, but positive views of masculinity were also a significant predictor of higher psychological positivity . Positive views of masculinity included attitudes such as a sense of protection towards women and a desire to be a strong pillar of support for the family.
“‘Toxic masculinity is a toxic term,'” Barry told SciPost. “We all need to stop using harmful terms such as ‘toxic masculinity’ because these ideas can be internalized by men and boys and have a negative impact. In some cases, men with serious mental health problems can ‘act out’ anti-social behavior, which is why harmful terminology in the media, schools, governments, etc. is something we try to reduce. It may actually increase the likelihood of action. Rather, it might be helpful to place more emphasis on how masculinity can have a positive impact on men and society. ”
Across age groups, men generally agreed that their sense of masculinity was associated with feelings of protection toward women. However, the study revealed interesting generational differences in how masculinity influences violent attitudes toward women. Older men were more opposed to the idea that their masculinity makes them “more likely to be violent toward women” than younger men. On average, men over 60 were least likely to agree with this suggestion, while men under 40 were especially likely to agree with this suggestion.
“Men who felt more protective toward women had higher psychological well-being, while men who felt violent toward women had lower psychological well-being,” Barry said. “I was surprised and saddened that young men under the age of 35 or 40 think that their masculinity causes them to have violent feelings towards women. I think it’s due to the negative notions of masculinity that have been perpetuated in our culture.”
Although this study provides valuable insights, it is important to note its limitations. Due to the cross-sectional nature of the study, it can reveal correlations but cannot conclusively prove causation.
“Correlation is not causation,” Barry says. “While this is true for many studies, we note that we cannot determine from this study whether, for example, poor mental health causes people to think negatively about masculinity, or vice versa. It’s worth keeping.”
Looking to the future, this study paves the way for further research exploring how different cultures and age groups perceive masculinity and its impact on mental well-being. . Longitudinal studies that follow the same individuals over time may provide deeper insight into how perceptions of masculinity evolve and influence men’s mental health across the lifespan.
“It’s not people’s fault for thinking masculinity is bad. After all, we all live in a soup of information created by policy-making bodies, governments, academia, the media, and they It all tells us in different ways that masculinity is the problem,” Barry added. . “But the psychology profession needs to find a way out of this limbo so that we can properly understand and address male psychology and men’s mental health.”
The title of the study was:Beliefs that masculinity negatively influences one’s behavior are associated with poorer mental health”.
