It's well-documented that men tend to die younger than women, but the reason for this difference isn't explained by physiological differences. Instead, new research suggests men may die earlier because they prioritize appearing masculine over being honest with their physician about their health.
The research was conducted at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey in New Brunswick, by Diana Sanchez, PhD, an associate professor of psychology, and Mary Himmelstein, a doctoral student.
For the study, the researchers asked men to fill out an online questionnaire about their opinions on manhood and relative attributes of men and women. Participants were also asked questions about their physician preference. The researchers also interviewed men and women about masculinity and healthcare.
Data collected from the questionnaires showed men who held traditional beliefs about masculinity — that men should be tough, brave, self-reliant and restrained in their expression of emotion — were more likely to ignore medical problems, or delay seeing a physician about them, than women or than men with less-traditional beliefs.
The study also found "macho" men were more likely to prefer a male physician, believing them to be more competent than female physicians. That said, male patients were less likely to open up to a male physician than a female physician about their symptoms.
According to the authors of the study, an attitude of extreme self-reliance could be hazardous for a person's health, regardless of gender, but it's worse for men.
"Men have a cultural script that tells them they should be brave, self-reliant and tough," said Ms. Himmelstein. "Women don't have that script, so there isn't any cultural message telling them that, to be real women, they should not make too much of illnesses and symptoms."
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