Study: Men overcompensate in gross ways when their masculinity is threatened

According to a University of Washington study published last week in the journal Social Psychology, men tend to overcompensate when they feel their masculinity is threatened, downplaying their “feminine” tastes and playing up their “manliness.” The study essentially tricked a random portion of male college students into believing their results on a handgrip strength test were more similar to the average woman’s and lower than the average man’s (therefore making the results “weak,” aka “bad”).

Following the test, participants were asked to fill out a survey, which included questions about their height, past relationships, personality traits and their interest in various products that clearly skewed “masculine” or “feminine.” Researchers found that men who falsely believed their strength test produced a “womanly” result were more likely to exaggerate in the questionnaire, doing things like adding an average of three-quarters of an inch to their height – which, you might recall, is not typically changeable […]

Essentially, the study illustrates men’s general (and extreme) sensitivity to any perceived emasculation, which can often have negative consequences for the men themselves and for those around them. [keep reading]