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Men live shorter lives because of stereotypes

 
, medical expert
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
 
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25 April 2016, 09:00

It is known that men around the world live less than women. The most common opinion is that men drink alcohol and smoke more often than women, and therefore are prone to developing cardiovascular diseases, but at Rutgers University, a group of scientists found out that another reason for male mortality may be stereotypes that have been ingrained for centuries, which force men to appear stronger and lie to doctors about their condition.

According to psychologists, it is generally accepted in society that men are stronger and tougher than women, and this leads to the fact that the strong half of humanity, when any symptoms appear, either ignores them or tries to find a male doctor. As it turned out, most men do not tell the whole story when they see a female doctor, which complicates diagnosis and worsens their condition.

One of the authors of the new study noted that on average men live 5 years shorter than the fair half of humanity, and from a physiological point of view, specialists cannot explain this. To find out the reason for this gap, scientists conducted a survey among 250 adult men and found that the higher the scores on the "masculinity" scale, the more men chose male doctors. In the second stage, experts surveyed the same number of students (the young people were asked the same questions as the previous respondents) and found that those who sincerely believe that men should not show their feelings are not ready to complain about any health problems.

At the third stage, the researchers interviewed about half a thousand men and women and found that supporters of the established stereotype are less likely to visit doctors, conceal their symptoms and are more likely to suffer complications. It is worth noting that a similar effect is observed among the fair sex: women who consider themselves strong and do not rely on anyone's help, visit doctors less often and keep silent about what is really bothering them.

According to one of the researchers, men have a deep subconscious that they should not show their weakness to anyone, in difficult situations they need to rely solely on themselves, and this is what leads to health problems. Women have a different picture - they are vulnerable, sensitive, prone to showing emotions and are more concerned about their own health.

Speaking of men's health, in one of the latest studies, scientists have found out what can strengthen men's health - and, oddly enough, it is grumbling and reproaches from a woman, which all men complain about so much. Experts have even proven that women pay special attention to health, not only their own or their children's, but also their other half. Ignoring serious symptoms by men leads to the development of serious diseases and complications, but a wife will always point out the "alarm bells" with health and persuade you to visit a doctor.

According to the study, married men get to the hospital on average 30 minutes earlier than single men, which is also a result of women's care. According to experts, wives also pay great attention to doctor's orders, unlike men, and literally force their husbands to follow them, while single men can sometimes skip taking medication or violate the regime.

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