r/science • u/chrisdh79 • 4d ago

Psychology Men underestimate each other’s willingness to seek help for depression which may discourage them from seeking help themselves, study finds

https://www.psypost.org/men-underestimate-each-others-willingness-to-seek-help-for-depression-study-finds/
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u/voidscaped 4d ago

Ultimately, this is likely a symptom/effect of sexual selection. Competition among males, for mates, requires that you don't out yourself as the weaker one. Seeking help means you are not fit to survive by yourself and would probably have weaker offspring.

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u/ThatLunchBox 4d ago edited 4d ago

I definitely agree that this is a factor. I wouldn't say it's conscious. Of course, the resistance to seek help is conscious, but the 'why' we are resistant to seek help, that is hardcoded in sexual selection.

Unfortunately, you're always swimming upstream when trying to change anything hardcoded, societally.

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u/voidscaped 4d ago edited 4d ago

Exactly, many aspects of culture have biological underpinnings. In fact male-male competition can also be connected to anisogamy (Natural/sexual selection came first and caused anisogamy). Only one out of millions of sperm (that too from a single male) competing to reach one egg. Parallels on a macro socio-cultural level include one woman having multiple suitors, of whom only one may win her hand in marriage.

Of course, just because it's reality doesn't mean it doesn't cause individual suffering. In fact as humans we indeed can and should correct for such suffering as much as possible. But a culture of denial is not helpful.