Easy to Lose and Risky to Regain? A Scoping Review of Experimentally Manipulated Masculinity Threat and Men's Health

BackgroundMen live shorter lives and suffer more often from preventable diseases than women. This health pattern is associated with masculine norms that incentivize health-risk behavior. Masculinity threats represent a potential mechanism by which masculinity norms causally impact men's health behavior. In this scoping review, we map experimental evidence for health effects and moderators of masculinity threat.MethodsFollowing PRISMA-ScR guidance, we conducted a scoping review of experimentally manipulated masculinity threat and men's health across PsycNet, CINAHL, SCOPUS, MEDLINE, Embase, and Web of Science. Searches were supplemented using Consensus AI, Google Scholar and web searches. We included experimental studies with male participants manipulating masculinity threat and measuring health-related outcomes.ResultsA total of k = 38 experiments across 25 papers were included, covering food and beverage intake (k = 16), emotional well-being and physiological stress (k = 9), body image and fitness (k = 6), risk-taking behaviors (k = 5), and interpersonal relationships (k = 2). Masculinity threat was consistently associated with a preference for stereotypically masculine foods, particularly meat. Effects in other domains were mixed or limited. We found that endorsement of masculinity-related traits, and beliefs about the precarious nature of manhood, most consistently shaped when, and for whom, masculinity threats motivated compensatory reactions or disengagement.ConclusionFindings may inform public health messaging by showing that challenges to men's masculine status can lead to health risk behavior. This review aims to guide future research to clarify existing patterns and explore new health domains and moderators related to masculinity threat.