Men live less because of stereotypes
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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It is known that men all over the world live less than women. The most common view is that men are more likely to drink alcohol and smoke than women, so they are prone to developing cardiovascular diseases, but at the University of Rutgers, a group of scientists found that another reason for male mortality could be the stereotypes laid down over the centuries that make men appear stronger and lie to doctors about their condition.
According to psychologists, in society it is considered that a man is basically stronger and stronger than a woman, and this leads to the fact that a strong half of humanity, when any symptoms appear, either ignores them or tries to find a male doctor. As it was possible to find out, the majority of men at reception at the doctor-women do not talk about what disturbs them, than complicate diagnostics and worsen the condition.
One of the authors of the new study noted that on average, men live 5 years shorter than the beautiful half of humanity, and physiologically, experts can not explain this. To find out the reason for this gap, scientists conducted a survey among 250 adult men and found that the higher the numbers on the "masculinity" scale, the more men chose male doctors. At the second stage, the experts interviewed the same number of students (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 problems with health.
At the third stage, the researchers interviewed about half a thousand men and women, and found that supporters of the prevailing stereotype are less likely to turn to doctors, hide their symptoms and are more prone to complications. It is worth noting that a similar effect exists among women of the fair sex: women who consider themselves strong and do not rely on anyone's help, turn to doctors less and keep silent about what really bothers them.
According to one of the researchers, in men deep in the subconscious is laid that they should not show their weakness to anyone, in difficult situations they need to rely solely on themselves, which is what leads to health problems. Women have a different picture - they are vulnerable, sensitive, tend to show emotions and are more concerned about their own health.
By the way about men's health, in one of the latest studies, the scientists found out that it is able to strengthen men's health - and strangely enough, it's grumbling and reproaches from the woman, to which so all men complain. Specialists even proved that women pay special attention to health, not only their own or their children, but also their second half. Ignoring serious symptoms by men leads to the development of serious illnesses and complications, but the spouse will always point to "anxious bells" with health and persuade to visit a doctor.
According to the study, married men fall into the hospital on average 30 minutes earlier than single women, which is also the result of women's care. According to experts, wives also pay great attention to the prescriptions of the doctor, unlike men, and literally force their husbands to perform, while the idlers can sometimes skip the medication or break the regime.
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