Today’s Young Men Are in Crisis
Declining physical and mental health threaten our future.
Young men, whose brains should be coursing with testosterone and dopamine, are failing to get into the dating and mating game — one which has perpetuated our species for millions of years. Despite being in the prime of their lives, a time in which they should be boasting the libido of a raging bull, about half of young men have not approached a woman in person during the past year, while 8 in 10 women wish they would.
Testosterone levels are plummeting at a population level, independent of age, as are sperm counts. Many countries are predicting a catastrophic collapse of their populations, with new births far below the replacement rate required to sustain their societies. Some scientists suggest we are bordering on an extinction level event. There are clearly economic factors at play, but there are also very strong physiological and social factors contributing to this looming crisis.
According to the General Social Survey, in 1989, 7% of men under the age of 30 were virgins. Today, it is about 25%. Sexual activity has dropped markedly for young people across the board, but much more dramatically for young men. Interestingly, sexual activity for women has remained comparatively stable.
According to research, 60% of young men under the age of 30 are single, compared to about 30% of women, which begs the question: who, precisely, are young women dating? Either they are dating each other, or they are dating older men. Those who spend time theorizing about such things conclude that, given the data, the latter is more probable. Are young women becoming disillusioned with today’s young men?
Enter Evolution
Evolution has gifted young men with an extraordinary capacity for risk-taking. Imagine a young man growing up as a hunter-gatherer and having to find a mate outside of his immediate family circle. He would need to be adventurous and brave, perhaps with a dash of foolishness, to leave the security of his group and venture into the dangerous unknowns — all for the pursuit of mating.
Young men have evolved to take risks. Emerging adulthood is a time of exploring one’s identity — of establishing meaning, seeking truth, and aspiring to make a difference. Testosterone fuelled risk-taking and bravery have also provided the ideal psychological ingredients for young military men.
Countering such impulsiveness and risk is the rational decision-making and judgment part of the brain — the prefrontal cortex. Yet, this region of the brain does not fully mature until we are in our mid-20s, granting young males a window of opportunity to be fearless and ready to take on the world in their adolescent years.
Are Young Men Changing?
When asking young men why they have not approached a woman in the past year, the number one reason given is fear — primarily fear of rejection. Why are young men suddenly so scared and risk-averse? The traditional evolutionary drive to tolerate risk seems to be waning and this emerging crisis of manliness may present a unique moment in our history.
Of course, being risk-averse has its upsides. Far fewer young people drink or smoke, and are often somewhat boastful about their health enlightenment — despite the spike in recreational drugs, along with “uppers” and “downers” flooding university campuses, and the various chemicals that surely fill the alcohol void in far more hallucinatory and entertaining ways.
Several cultural factors seem to be simultaneously driving young men toward cowardice. Certainly the spotlight on toxic masculinity has created an environment in which young men are not quite sure if they can approach a woman at work or school, while the American Psychological Association has taken on “traditional” masculinity, challenging concepts such as machoism, strength, and stoic emotional behaviour. The problem is the same ingredients that drive young men to war, can also produce admirable nonviolent qualities. When we encourage young men to divorce themselves from their masculinity, there is a tendency to remove all of the non-toxic attributes too — many of which women find attractive.
It is also not helpful for male (or female) egos, that they are experiencing the hardest economic conditions in generations. It was not long ago that the average 25-year-old could buy a house, new car, and support an entire family — often on a single income. Today, over half of young adults in America, age 18–29, live with their parents, the highest percentage since the Great Depression. This surely puts a crimp in one’s dating life.
We add into the mix the proliferation of nonstop online stimuli, with all its alluring distractions. This magical world has resulted in a very high proportion of young men, who are either unemployed or on disability claims, living with their parents, while spending the bulk of their time gaming or streaming online entertainment. Our digital social world has become a surrogate for real human interaction and this is leading to increased loneliness, isolation, and mental health problems.
There is a common assumption that pornography is the reason young men are not interested in real-world dating, yet it does not seem to be bear fruit, as overall sexual activity, both paired and solo, are in free fall. Young men are becoming fatter, more fearful, and less sexual, with plummeting testosterone and sperm counts — unique in our long evolutionary history.
These sedentary factors are instrumental in contributing to declining physical health. Young men should have Apollo-like physiques, and yet it is increasingly common to see 20-something men with abdominal fat (the so-called “spare tire”, typically linked to dangerous visceral fat), as well as hormone imbalances and poor muscle tone.
There is some evidence that young men, in particular, are highly attuned to the online world in a way that young women are not, especially with respect to the brain’s reward circuitry. This is observed when adolescent males play video games, in which the competition and the capturing of territory through “conflict games” may activate ancient hardwired drives for war and conquer. Studies show, with brain imaging, that this territory competition effect is not as evident in females. Modern media and online gaming may well have become the modern-day equivalent of opium dens, derailing the potential of young men by hijacking their ancient evolutionary drive to fight and compete.
We cannot force young men to get off their devices, step into the fresh air, and be brave enough to talk to a real human romantic partner, but if trends continue as they are, with obesity, depression, and declining testosterone and sperm counts, we do not have much time to right the ship.
