A Researcher Studied the Most Common Last Words of Suicidal Men

So given the confusing state of masculinity, it probably won't surprise anyone that when researchers studied the last words of suicidal men, they found the two most common words used were "useless" and "worthless."

“Men play this game of appearing confident, headstrong, and apathetic, while women must appear the opposite — demure, vulnerable, and empathetic. It’s ridiculous that society accepted this sexist way of thinking even though everyone states on their dating profile…. ‘I’m looking for an honest, caring, intelligent man’… these are qualities that we se

A. They work themselves to death, clearing hurdle after hurdle in a relentless pursuit of some bogus hegemonic definition of masculinity that eventually kills them earlier than women.

But here's the real problem. We dismantled masculinity and didn't leave a blueprint to build the new digs. Or, to put a finer point on this debate, therapist Jonathan Decker posited that "limiting masculinity," not toxic masculinity, is to blame for this mess. In other words, how we define masculinity is too narrow.

B. They emotionally withdraw and quietly stew in depression, resentment, and the fear that their contributions will never be adequate. (Or at least never enough to attract a life partner or obtain societal status.) This withdrawal partially explains why sex rates have dropped in young men but not young women.

Men find meaning in one role — provider.

But another Pew Research Center study shines a harsher black light on masculinity. Researchers asked women and men where they found meaning, fulfillment, and satisfaction. They found women found happiness through multiple sources, but men did not.