We used to think that women had a tendency to express their feelings and emotions more plainly than men. Of course, each person is different and some men can be very emotional and smoothly say what they feel. Still, researchers try to examine why guys don’t show themselves as women do.
Men feel emotions the same as women.
“I feel like he doesn’t care,” women are repeatedly heard declaring when they can’t get any feedback about their partner’s emotions. But is that really true? While statistics show that women are more susceptible to anxiety and depression, men are also impacted by mental health conditions.
Did you know that over 30% of men will encounter depression at some point in their lives? And, around 9% of men say experience feelings of anxiety or depression daily. Despite societal expectations for men to hide their emotions, it’s crucial to identify the importance of addressing mental health problems in men. Let’s explore why men conceal their emotions.
It could be social pressure.
Surprisingly, the ordinary phrase, “man up,” seems to play a significant role in this behavior. This term, specified by the Cambridge English Dictionary as “dealing with something more bravely,” is just one societal pressure that warps the perceptions of manliness.
Research guided by men’s health charity November shows that almost one-third of men feel the pressure to appear manly or masculine, with younger men, aged 18-34, encountering this at even higher levels (47%). Understanding these societal impacts can help us overcome obstacles to men’s mental health and well-being.
Men continually exhibit fewer visual signs of mental health concerns and are less likely to consult them openly. The report declares that when women are depressed, they frequently express sadness or vocalize their feelings, while men generally display signs of irritability, anger, or aggression. By understanding these gender-specific differences in showing mental health challenges, we can better recognize and handle them.
Men don’t show their feelings, and it works against them.
They just don’t know how to express themselves.
No one presented to men how to show themselves. Societal expectations and childhood conditioning often train men to be hard and unemotional, leaving them doubtful of how to show their feelings.
While women may liberally express their heartbreak, men tend to conceal their discomfort and appear stoic. This societal pressure can create it difficult for men to be vulnerable, as that is thought a taboo. As a result, men’s emotional well-being may undergo. By advertising open discussions about mental health and breaking down stereotypes, we can support men to feel relaxed and empowered to show their emotions.
It’s a neurological thing.
The Corpus Callosum, a portion of the brain that connects the left and right hemispheres, is bigger in women than in men, directing to a higher capability to feel and think simultaneously. Women can feel and think at the same time.
Men, on the other hand, care to detach their emotions from their thoughts, resulting in hesitance to talk about emotional topics. While this may show difficulty in communicating about sensitive matters, it’s important to identify and understand these gender-based differences.
Men and women are the same in some ways, but still different. Even the way they handle stress can vary depending on social expectations, psychology, and physiology.
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