How to Be an Atoxic Man

"Toxic masculinity is a term that is often used on social media and in other online contexts. It describes troubling attitudes about masculinity that may be harmful to others, especially women, but also other men. A recent study ( Hill Cone and co-workers, 2026) found that overall, only 10.8 percent of male volunteers in a large study on toxic masculinity showed clear signs of toxic masculinity, while 89.2 percent did not."

"The study also attempted to define what actually makes up toxic masculinity using concepts from psychological science. This part of the study was also important, as the term is widely used online, but often it is not really clear what is meant by it. Interestingly, by looking at the eight factors that made up toxic masculinity in the study, one could also define what makes up atoxic masculinity. What does it take to be an atoxic man? Here are eight rules."

Toxic masculinity commonly appears on social media and describes attitudes that can harm others, especially women and other men. Only 10.8 percent of male volunteers displayed clear signs of toxic masculinity while 89.2 percent did not. Eight psychological factors together characterize toxic masculinity and can be inverted to define atoxic masculinity. Gender identity centrality gauges how central being a man is to self-concept; high scorers make being a man a major part of identity, while atoxic men do not. Sexual prejudice measures negative judgments based on sexual orientation; high scorers hold negative prejudices against others because of orientation.

Read at Psychology Today