Study finds that men really, really don't want to go to the doctor
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Men really, really don't want to talk about what's going on down there. But it's not just performance and urinary issues most men want to avoid discussing with another living soul — a new survey of 500 men by the Cleveland Clinic found that most have no idea even when to do routine tests, such as having their blood pressure or cholesterol checked. The researchers further found that about 40 percent of men won't even go to their annual checkup, Newsweek reports.
Part of the problem stems from men's unwillingness to talk or learn about their health: Only 7 percent of men said they would willingly talk to their male friends about their health, and only 5 percent would about performance issues, and 3 percent about urinary issues. Almost 20 percent of millennial men and 7 percent of baby boomers had no idea what a "urologist" is.
Women typically are much more open to discussing health issues; unsurprisingly, about 20 percent of men responding to the survey said they went to the doctor just to get their wife or girlfriend to quit nagging them. And hey, it shows: Single men have a mortality rate 27 percent higher than men who live with someone else.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"Many men overlook the fact that your male friend may be a resource for you or an experiential resource, or they may know the right physician to see or may be supportive," one of the study's researchers, Dr. Eric Klein, told Newsweek. "I think women are more experienced with feeling vulnerable and experience it more frequently and know how to deal with it better."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
How the FCC’s ‘equal time’ rule worksIn the Spotlight The law is at the heart of the Colbert-CBS conflict
-
What is the endgame in the DHS shutdown?Today’s Big Question Democrats want to rein in ICE’s immigration crackdown
-
‘Poor time management isn’t just an inconvenience’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Rubio boosts Orbán ahead of Hungary electionSpeed Read Far-right nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is facing a tough re-election fight after many years in power
-
Key Bangladesh election returns old guard to powerSpeed Read The Bangladesh Nationalist Party claimed a decisive victory
-
Epstein files topple law CEO, roil UK governmentSpeed Read Peter Mandelson, Britain’s former ambassador to the US, is caught up in the scandal
-
Iran and US prepare to meet after skirmishesSpeed Read The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East
-
EU and India clinch trade pact amid US tariff warSpeed Read The agreement will slash tariffs on most goods over the next decade
-
Israel retrieves final hostage’s body from GazaSpeed Read The 24-year-old police officer was killed during the initial Hamas attack
-
China’s Xi targets top general in growing purgeSpeed Read Zhang Youxia is being investigated over ‘grave violations’ of the law
-
Panama and Canada are negotiating over a crucial copper mineIn the Spotlight Panama is set to make a final decision on the mine this summer
