Photo: Vince Garcia
Why men being men could just save our behinds.
The cover article in the Monitor on Psychology this month is about the genetic and cultural differences that combine to cut men’s average life expectancy. In “Why Do Men Die Earlier?” author Bridget Murray-Law explains that there is some limited genetic basis to the 50-percent higher frequency of heart disease in men than women, but the vast majority of the difference in life expectancy comes down to the “double whammy of poorer health care behaviors and lower use of health care.” According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, men die, on average, five years earlier than women. ”We say one year is biological and the rest is cultural,” Murray-Law quotes a prominent researcher as saying.
What’s intriguing about the newest research, however, is that the way to extend male life isn’t to feminize us but build upon traditionally male attributes that turn out to promote healthier choices. “Men high in traits that are often considered masculine ideals—self-reliance, responsibility, emotional maturity and an even-keeled approach—are more prone to visit their physicians and avoid risky behaviors, findings suggest.”
Even more intriguing is that the research is showing that African-American men, who die even younger than men as a whole, actually strongly display some of these traits because they have had a hard time getting proper health care. A history of societal discrimination means that these men, researchers found, tend to view self-reliance not only as a personal matter that makes them shy away from care, but there’s also the idea of “I can’t depend on others in society to take care of me, so I need to rely on myself. And because others—my family—are depending on me, I really need to take care of myself.”
Using Will Coutrenay’s Dying to Be Men: Psychosocial, Environmental, and Biobehavioral Directions in Promoting the Health of Men and Boys, here are six ways to take advantage of your masculinity to get healthy:
Photojournalist Joao Silva (Michael Kamber)
1. Humanize. Men commonly think that their health concerns are wimpy and unmanly, says Courtenay. “And they think other men aren’t concerned about their health,” he says. “We need to tell them, ‘Your buddies are worried about their health, too, and that’s OK. Everyone is. It’s human.”
About Tom Matlack
Highly recommend Crowley & Lodge’s “Younger Next Year.” Great advice, accurate science and biochemistry, targeted at men (the original book anyway), really works.
I’m not going to go through all the different pages, but thank you dispelling the feminist myth that women are biologically superiour.
The gap first opened up the 1950s for some reason … men tend to pay for a disproportionate amount of healthcare yet use it less. They are also subtly encouraged to sacrifice their health for others. This will seem petty but “man flu”, I don’t know how many women I have heard scoffing and mocking when men get sick. I was talking to a relative who works in health care, and she said a lot of the nurses time is taken up be women asking for more pillows and fussing about their hair and so on while a man might be dieing in the bed and not tell anyone. We need to develop away from this idea that we sacrifice for women and children and start focusing on ourselves more.
“Men high in traits that are often considered masculine ideals—self-reliance, responsibility, emotional maturity and an even-keeled approach—are more prone to visit their physicians and avoid risky behaviors, findings suggest.”
I wouldn’t consider these to be “masculine ideals,” but more to be human being ideals. In fact, as Michael Kimmel as noted, “masculinity” in the US has often been defined by being so emotionless – and so unaware of your emotions – as to be an inanimate object “a sturdy oak,” and to take big risks, not really “an even-keeled approach.”
Also, “self-reliance” would seem to suggest that one not trust anyone else, such as a doctor. A more permeable approach where one can engage in interdependence with others, have healthy boundaries (not rigid ones), and acknowledge the work and help of others when you need it, seems more to be the adult way to do things.
But I would encourage men to aspire to take more responsibility – and not be afraid to show vulnerability – around issues of health care, including emotional health.
I’ve checked the original article and I see it was misunderstood here. From the original article:
“Gilles Tremblay, PhD, a social work professor from Quebec City told the APA that when you look at the difference in life expectancy between men and women, while one year is biological, or possibly genetic while the rest is cultural. His research shows several traits normally associated with men — specifically emotional suppression, aggression and risk-taking—are linked with fewer visits to doctors and hospitals and much higher incidences of injury and disease.
“‘We have to frame health-care seeking as an act of self-reliance,’ University of North Carolina’s Wizdom Powell Hammond, Ph.D., is quoted as saying. Self-reliance is high on the list of traits generally associated with manliness according to the Male Role Norms Inventory, the most commonly used measure of masculinity. ‘The message should be that taking charge of your health is what it means to be a real man.’
So perhaps — just perhaps — by playing to all men’s interests in control and responsibility, health-care professionals and officials have a chance to help them ward off serious diseases and live longer. If the tactic works, the average man will go and see a physician long before he starts seeing spots. And the joke won’t be funny anymore.”
I think for real health and longevity, the “Male Role Norms Inventory” needs to change. More men will need to let go of trying to control others – and instead learn self-control, and also will need to learn interdependence (rather than the type of passive-aggressive dependence on women to “nag” them) and respect for their and others emotional lives. I hope they do that.
I like the way you presented the “what you can do about it” part of this article. If I were a man, I think I’d be more likely to take notice…
Thanks Gabi I did try…
We’re talking about healthcare. Is there a correction in this for the fact that 90% of workplace deaths are of men? That men enjoy or at least endure higher-risk activities which lead to occasional death? Keep in mind that a man dying of reckless driving at age 22 pulls the average down considerably more than a guy dying at, say, 78.
It isn’t all health care. Too bad we have the preaching to the stereotypical guy–whoever he is, he must be busy–who’s too John Waynish to see a doctor.
Case in point. I do what I think I have to do. Or want to do. As a result, I know a number of physical therapists in the various bump shops where I live or have lived. I can be laid up because I’m hurt. Or laid up, effectively, trying to avoid being hurt, or live as I wish and earn another tee shirt at the local lumbar and fender shop.
I’m willing to take the chance–do take the chance–and the same goes for various risks of life. Nothing crazy, but sometimes helping stranded motorists, to take one example, puts you at risk of being hit by some clown who zones in on hazard lights. As has happened around here not so long ago.
So,I’m supposed to stay in my chair so I can stay in my chair longer? And inch the lifespan averages closer together? Forget it.
This article has been bothering me all day – and I am afraid I have to add it to some other Matlack articles that have been offensive and not reflective of a “good man” in my book. Sometimes he shows some promise at grasping these issues, but too often he seems to me like a guy with some serious “daddy issues” where everything is about defining things as “masculine” and living in some kind of homosocial masculinity (where masculinity is defined by and for men – and women are dependent auxiliaries to the all-important, self-reliant man) at the exclusion than looking at what women need or want from men – as daughters, wives or co-workers – or even what sons need from fathers. And he tends to be very greedy in what he defines as “masculine.”
Matlack says “What’s intriguing about the newest research, however, is that the way to extend male life isn’t to feminize us but build upon traditionally male attributes that turn out to promote healthier choices.’Men high in traits that are often considered masculine ideals—self-reliance, responsibility, emotional maturity and an even-keeled approach—are more prone to visit their physicians and avoid risky behaviors, findings suggest.’”
Not only is Matlack misogynistic – by labeling “feminization” as something abhorrent – but also he quotes the article out of context. The original article was bad as well – by labeling human being traits as “masculine” and thus making them unavailable to women, the classic means for oppressing women. (It is especially annoying and ironic this was done in an article about health.) Further, Matlack especially, but also the original article, fail to note how these characteristics in black men, who have been oppressed in the US, are identical to those of women around the world who for centuries have had to tend to their own health as well. And black men have had to deal with drug culture in a very intense way – so “emotional maturity” in not using drugs has a different (although important and laudable) meaning in that context than “emotional maturity” in the context of learning how to name and talk about your feelings, and learning to empathize with your children, rather than acting emotions out (which is what often happens when they are suppressed) or dismissing them as “feminine” and beneath you.
I know there are still some insecure men out there who need this line drawn about what is “masculine” (which tends to be everything under the sun that they see as valuable) and need to avoid what they define as “femininity” (which tends to be everything under the sun that they see as not valuable) at all costs – and disparage it. I thought the GMP was about moving beyond that type of greedy, petty sexism. But Matlack is making the problem worse in this and other articles.
I am sorry to be so critical, but I am disappointed since other writers like Belanger, Schwytzer, etc have really done a good job and the GMP seemed to have a lot of promise in helping get men and women out of conflict with each other. But Matlack is too often making things worse.
Let me offer a slightly different perspective. I agree with Tom pretty much, and see nothing misogynistic about what he wrote. Lately I’ve been reading Louann Brizendine’s The Male Brain. Now I know that there’s some overlap between males and females here, but the truth is that men cannot actually feminize. The reason is that, over the life course, men produce much more testosterone and vasopressin than women. This is why men are especially equipped for linear thinking, problem solving, and so forth. Their aggression can be used appropriately to defend themselves, women, and children.
Sure, Emily, we need to get rid of what might be called surplus masculinity. Things like sadism, cruelty, the urge to control inappropriately. But you basically can’t feminize men.
Henry, behaviors like sadism, cruelty and the urge to control inappropriately in adults are rooted in child abuse, and certain personality disorders and are found in both men and women. The myth that these things are rooted in masculinity is modern. That book sounds great, I haven’t read it, just the reviews but her message, stop trying to turn men into women and attacking men for not being women is timely.
Emily
Schwyzer, is a modern traditionalist, he promotes an extreme form of traditionalism in which women are worshiped as infallible, morally superior objects, all the writers you mention infantilze women and cast men as their protectors of and objects of sacrifice for women.
The only thing that bothers me is this passage:
“What’s intriguing about the newest research, however, is that the way to extend male life isn’t to feminize us but build upon traditionally male attributes that turn out to promote healthier choices. “Men high in traits that are often considered masculine ideals—self-reliance, responsibility, emotional maturity and an even-keeled approach—are more prone to visit their physicians and avoid risky behaviors, findings suggest.”
You do say they are traditionally male attributes, but it’s still insulting to claim that self-reliance, responsibility, emotional maturity, and even-keeled approach are male attributes and not attributes all human beings should have, male or female. This also implies that femininity is the opposite of what is listed. It’s almost a slap in the face when you say the way to extend male life isn’t to feminize men. What is that anyway? The opposite of what is listed? I know I sound condescending, but it irks me when people don’t pay attention to blatant sexist language in favor of a more unbiased approach to talking about this.
Amber.
You’re right that women have and should have those traits. The point is, though, that men are expected to have them, and women are not. It’s a social expectation. Pointing it out is not the same as endorsing it, although pretending they’re the same is common in various debates. Problem is, it’s transparent as a sheet of window glass.
Great, another specious report on men’s life expectancy based purely on special pleading? Say it ain’t so!
Let’s do a thought experiment. Let’s take away birth control, c-sections, ultrasounds, abortions, drugs, and every other medical advancement that helps women survive pregnancy. And while we’re at it, let’s make it so less women have access to health insurance instead of the other way around. Now, let’s write an article about women’s resulting shorter life expectancy by saying that 1 year of the difference is from purely natural and unavoidable causes and the other 4 years is due to a cultural failure to keep their legs crossed and not going to the doctor. How would that sound?
In order to say that any part of men’s shorter life expectancy is natural, you really have to pretend that the technological advancements that extend women’s lives somehow just don’t count in the comparison. And to say that any part of it is due to behavioral reasons, you would have to ignore that women have better access to health insurance and much more compelling reasons to see their doctors. You would have to demonstrate causality, not just a correlation peppered with anecdotes.
Also, this approaches racial issues in very nonchalant and dismissive way, completely ignoring the elephant in the room. I mean, I didn’t even get that convoluted, twisted logic. So White guys need to be more like Black guys in order to live longer, but Black guys are that way because they live even less? So what causes what? What about the lack of health insurance, lack of social services, lack of medical research targeting their particular demographic? All of those things normally associated with an oppressed underclass… Why isn’t that actually tied back together to the actual reasons behind men’s lowered life expectancy?
dungone
Agreed. A bunch of mush. Among other things, dying young is completely different from dying at an advanced age but, on the average, several years younger than women.
Primary reason is to get more ammunition–sugar water in Supersoakers–for those who want something else about which to reproach the het male WASP lifestyle.
I agree with you fully Richard. It really is a matter of a long established standard of what MEN are like and how we are expected to behave in our social, family, and relationship circles. This pressure to fit a certain template of manliness if often mistaken as pride-led poor decisions.
As you stated, it’s hard not to spring a tangent or debate when scratching beyond the surface with this topic because at some point there is sense of fault on one side or the other, when as with everything it tends to fall somewhere in between.
While I think time, education, and social evolutions will ideally do more to curb many of the caveman expectations ( and not so healthy behaviors they can lead to ), it seems the true difficulty lies in some of the more knee-jerk ‘male’ reactions that ultimately feel ‘by design’ or programmed by which ever means or deity you see fit. If harm is to be done to myself or a random woman or child I don’t know, I would pick myself without thinking. Generally speaking, most men I associate with seem to be of the same opinion and, at least in most of the animal kingdom, is the rule. We quite naturally provide the shield; women don’t seem to mind being shielded.
Yes, that’s tinder for debate abound, but my thoughts nonetheless.
Great read Tom.
I wonder is there a 10,000 lb elephant in the room and no one wants to talk about it.
That elephant is women only healthcare, in Canada, we have dozens of women only healthcare centers and hospitals and only a couple for men. Women only diseases receive WAY more funding than men only diseases. By last count women receive over 80 cents of every health care dollar. I am no doctor but I am pretty sure that this will add to the life span difference.
Now imagine for a moment a country where 80+ cents of every health care dollar is spent on men, where there are tons of men only hospitals and virtually none for women, Now imagine the outrage.