In my latest book, 12 Rules for Good Men, that will come out later this year, I explore what I’ve learned in the last fifty years doing men’s work. In it, I report on a new study that offers startling new evidence to support the reality that there are significant, brain-based differences between males and females. My...Continue reading
Category: Boys
Talking About “Toxic Masculinity” – When Is It Okay to Be a Bigot?
Dear Mr. Dad: Have you seen that new television commercial that aims to get men to treat women better? I think it’s great and even recorded it and am playing it for my husband and son. What do you think? A: For those who missed it, the ad in question is from Gillette—a Procter & Gamble...Continue reading
12 Surprising Facts About Males That Explain Why Men Are the Way They Are
How to Live Fully, Love Deeply, and Make a Difference in the World, I hope to mentor men and help women better understand what’s great about men. I shared some of these important facts in my article, “The Single Most Important Fact About Men.” Here are 12 more facts about men that will help you improve your...Continue reading
The Importance of Roughhousing
Dear Mr. Dad: My husband and our boy-girl twins love to wrestle, but I’m worried that all that physical activity and getting revved up will make them—especially our son—see violence as acceptable. Should I be concerned? A: Not at all. In fact, the evidence supports the exact opposite conclusion. In their book, The Art of Roughhousing, Anthony...Continue reading
Do You Have Testicular Cancer? The U.S. Preventive Service Task Force Doesn’t Want You to Know
I am a 22-year-old man, and I have some questions for men of whom I am concerned. Gentlemen, have you had any action down there lately? No, I meant have you self-checked your testicles for any abnormalities – bumps, lumps, or humps? Regardless of your activity or lack thereof down south, you should. According to...Continue reading
Persistent Pain: Is It All Just In the Brain?
Did you know that when you experience pain that is persistent, the central nervous system–that is your brain and spinal cord–plays an important role in how you feel? According to the International Association for the Study of Pain, pain is ‘an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience’ in response to ‘actual or potential tissue damage.’ The...Continue reading
Male Attachment Disorder, Anger, and Relationship Stress: Helping Men and the Women Who Love Them
It’s said that we teach what we want to learn and I’ve been teaching and learning about men’s anger and how it impacts our relationships for many years now. 2018 marks 50 years that I’ve been in the business of helping men (My wife thinks I should say, 40 plus years, because 50 years might...Continue reading
14 Rules for Becoming Your Own Man: How to Be Wildly Successful At The Game of Life
Manhood today is maligned and misunderstood. Some believe maleness itself is inherently destructive and should be eliminated. In his book, The End of Manhood, John Stoltenberg says that the notion of manhood “is a sham, a trap, and those who would redeem it are kidding themselves, for manhood is a mask, incompatible with truly human selfhood.” Others...Continue reading
Boys Are in Trouble
The often-justifiable anger of women toward men has left boys in the lurch. In one of my earliest posts on Psychology Today, back in March 2010, I wrote of how stuck I felt being a liberal who cared about boys (and young men). While the data clearly showed that boys were struggling in school, and in other...Continue reading
Male Anger, Testosterone, and Depression: What Women and Men Need to Know Before It’s Too Late
Chronic and excessive anger causes the following problems: Increases a man’s risk for high blood pressure and heart-disease. Stresses relationships and causes women to withdraw. Is related to male-type depression. Creates separation between men, women, and children. Is linked to both high levels of testosterone and low levels. Is being played out on a national...Continue reading