‘Manly men' bounce back better from injury

Having just seen "300", the comic-book style film about the Spartans' stand at the battle of Thermopylae, it seemed almost too much of a coincidence to come across a study about the benefits of being a "manly man".

The Spartans were the original inspiration for the famous Monty Python depiction of the armless, legless knight screaming "I've had worse... come back and fight!" It's a character trait we are all familiar with as runners. Athletes of both genders have taken a lot of stick from experts who've asserted that the "suck it up and suffer" routine puts us at a disadvantage when it we're injured.

But now research from the University of Missouri-Columbia suggests that the old-fashioned traits normally associated with “traditional masculinity” may actually help athletes heal more quickly.

The masculine identity often associated with men in the armed forces and other high-risk pursuits may encourage and quicken a man's recovery from serious injuries, says Glenn Good, associate professor of educational, school and counselling psychology.

"It has long been assumed that men are not as concerned and don't take as good of care of their health," Good said, "but what we're seeing here is that the same ideas that led to their injuries may actually encourage their recovery."

His results showed that that men with “higher masculinity conformity levels” displayed greater improvement from initial hospitalization to one year after leaving hospital.
Previous studies have generally found that more traditional views of masculinity are barriers toward health and recovery, says Good, in that they encourage dangerous activities and discourage men from seeking help with their problems or accepting vulnerability.

However, the tenets of traditional masculinity also include the ability to withstand hardship, a quality of “stick-to-it-iveness” and the willingness to see something through to the end, he says. These are qualities that in the running world we associate with both men and women.

"The immediate message here is to encourage psychotherapy along with traditional methods of healing," Good said. "Most people with serious injuries are provided primarily biomedical treatments, but it is important to look at psychosocial issues that affect their recovery as well. In terms of a social response, this study encourages us to redefine strength and masculinity in ways that benefit every stage of health care."

"300" features strong men AND women. One of the big appeals of the film is the training the make-believe Spartans went through to get in shape. There's a great video and background info on their routine here.

Now, where can I get a tractor tyre.....?

* The study was published in the American Psychological Association's journal Psychology of Men and Masculinity.