How specific masculine ideals are linked to anxiety and depression in men

New research highlights the complex link between traditional masculine ideals and men's mental health. While some societal expectations are neutral or even protective, specific norms like emotional suppression and extreme self-reliance are uniquely associated with higher rates of anxiety and depression. The study, published in the journal Sex Roles, reveals that these rigid ideals are connected to difficulties in processing and managing emotions.

Men tend to avoid seeking professional help and are more prone to internalizing symptoms like depression and anxiety. The researchers, led by Vincent O. Mancini, aimed to map the psychological pathways between cultural expectations and these internalizing symptoms. They examined masculinity as a multidimensional set of norms, rather than a single construct.

Industrialized Western countries typically embrace a range of traditional ideals, including risk-taking, self-reliance, stoicism, and emotional suppression. The study focused on two psychological concepts: alexithymia and emotion regulation. Alexithymia is a personality trait marked by difficulty in identifying and describing one's emotions.

Emotion regulation refers to the ability to monitor, evaluate, and modify emotional reactions. The research involved 740 men from the United States and the United Kingdom, aged 22 to 80, who completed an online survey assessing their conformity to ten traditional masculine norms. These norms included risk-taking, the desire to win, self-reliance, prioritizing work, emotional control, and maintaining strict emotional regulation.

The findings showed that four specific masculine ideals—prioritizing work, self-reliance, desire to win, and emotional control—are strongly linked to higher alexithymia levels. Men adhering to these norms were more likely to struggle with recognizing and labeling their emotions. Other traditional norms, such as pursuing status and risk-taking, did not show a harmful association with emotional processing.

The researchers discovered that high alexithymia leads to poor emotion regulation, which in turn is strongly associated with increased anxiety and depression. This study maps a psychological pathway where strict adherence to masculine ideals leads to emotional blindness, limiting the ability to manage psychological distress and ultimately resulting in a higher likelihood of internalizing symptoms.