The results showed an clear trend: The strongest predictor of men’s happiness and well-being is their job satisfaction, by a large margin—and the strongest predictor of job satisfaction is whether men feel they are making an impact on their companies’ success.
This measure, the study finds, is influenced by whether men feel they are using their own unique talents at work, whether they are surrounded by a diverse set of perspectives, how easily and often they can chat with co-workers, whether they feel their opinions are valued, and whether they’re inspired by the people they work with.
These results aligned with Harry’s 2017 survey of 2,000 men in the UK, also led by Barry, which similarly found that satisfying, secure employment is the strongest predictor of British men’s positive mindset. ”Men who have high job satisfaction are very likely to be content in other aspects of their life,” the report on the UK study explains. “Men at work are more likely to be men at ease with themselves. Everything else—contentment at home, in relationships and friendships—flows down from men being satisfied at work.”
Following job satisfaction, the top indicators of a positive mindset and wellness for American men are, in descending order, their physical and mental health, income, age (men over age 50 were significantly happier, especially in the US Midwest), and relationship status.
The survey found that 91 percent of married men had normal or better levels of mental positivity, compared with 80 percent of single or unmarried men. Regionally, friendship is a particularly strong predictor of well-being for men in the west and northeast US, while socializing through sports and healthy competition was a stronger indicator of well-being for men in the US south.
My well being was hugley improved by leaving my job and going full time with my own ventures so I can see how that impacts it but for me differently. There is nothing worse than getting up each day to do a job that is grinding you down. Soon as I changed that I felt better about a lot of things. I suppose it is different as the “company” that is benefitting from me being able showcase my talents is just me. But that also largely is comprised of income as well. Addtionally I now socialise with “work colleagues” that inspire me and drive me only. I cut out dead wood which helps me to stay motivated.
I believe that most people will identify with @cashisking86.
Here’s another study with radically different findings.
Close relationships, more than money or fame, are what keep people happy throughout their lives, the study revealed. Those ties protect people from life’s discontents, help to delay mental and physical decline, and are better predictors of long and happy lives than social class, IQ, or even genes. That finding proved true across the board among both the Harvard men and the inner-city participants.
Researchers who have pored through data, including vast medical records and hundreds of in-person interviews and questionnaires, found a strong correlation between men’s flourishing lives and their relationships with family, friends, and community. Several studies found that people’s level of satisfaction with their relationships at age 50 was a better predictor of physical health than their cholesterol levels were.
Interesting proposal @ponponwei and it is interesting to see that those who have responded so far tend to disagree and find that men are more driven by a sense of self-reliance and achievement in their own endeavours, whereas the article refers to very modern “studies” and perhaps tellingly was written by a person whose name seems to indicate that she is a woman - even though she refers to “All genders” at some point.
I think it’s important to note that “men” as she sees them - are not the same people that the respondents see.
The facts are that “men” nowadays are not the same as they were when @QuadPip 's Harvard study did their survey. One of the most telling problems nowadays is the catastrophic decline in male fertility - which none of those studies even mentions - and which is (IMO) one of the main reasons why the artice @ponponwei links to sees men as a sort of “Pet” who can be kept content with a nice steady job and a “secure” income !
Well that may just be possible with a sort of “chemically castrated” male - just as your castrated male dog will be compliant and way less “troublesome” than one left “entire”. Does that make him “happy” or are you just robbing him of his “raison d’etre” ?
@QuadPip 's study is 80 years old - which puts it around 1940 - an important point - since it is prior to the inputs of Ancel Keys - who championed the Low-fat, High Carb diet ! (1960’s ?)
During “Lockdown” I have been blessed with two new Grand-sons and since my experiences last year with a “Men’s Group” (which I found quite saddening) - I have been thinking about what I see as a major problem for their futures.
The story is quite complicated!
So let us see where this goes (and out of interest regarding @QuadPip 's post I should point out that “cholesterol” is far less proven as a cause of “Poor health” than "they would have you believe AND that ALL Hormones are made by the body from Cholesterol ! )
So “cholesterol and saturated fat” - and by way of my first digression this documentary is important !
So let us continue;
Since the beginning of life some 3 billion years ago and more particularly since the development of male and female sexes, some 3 million years ago, Females have selected males to father their children ! this selction has been quite ruthless and Jordan Peterson points out that we have Twice as many female ancesors as male ones ! So a great many males have been weeded out of the gene pool by female selection processes (Some mischievous commentators have observed that this means men are more evolved from our common ancestors with chimpazees than women are ! )
However I digress - the facts are that women have selectively bred men throughout all evolution for certain characteristics - such as strength, courage, fearlessness, dominance and all those things we are now regard as “toxic” - if you take on board the current fashion of considering traditional men as “toxic” So don’t knock it - your mothers and grandmothers WANTED us this way !
Now back to Male fertility - we have long known that those who renounce sexual activity because it “dissipates spiritual energy” (bramacharya in the Hindu tradition) that a vegetarian diet is helpful in dissipating male sexuality and this was confirmed in 1984 by a Swedish study showed that switching from a high fat to low fat diet, pariculary one high in polyunsaturates - Reduces blood testosterone by 10% !
Also phytoestrogens present in many plants can antagonise testosterone production and encourage a more female type of fat distribution - The plants most implicated are ; Soy (hence “soy boy” ?) particularly tofu and misu, citrus fruits, wheat, licorice, alfalaf, fennel and (oddly to me anyway) Celery ! - This is why some vegetarian Yogis have enlarged breasts (‘Gynomastia’ ) and large abdomens. Pliny recorded 2000 years ago that " hempseed and chondrian make men impotent" ! - Further reading here ;
Plastic food containers are also implicated in reducing testosterone as is drinking water due to the estrogen in female contraceptives - AND the amount of testosterone in the blood is the feedback mechanism which stimulates the producion of sperm and more testosterone, (from cholesterol).by it’s action on the Hypothalmus and thence the pituitary gland which calls for these by it’s production of ; ‘Follicle stimulating Hormone’ increases spem production and ‘Leutenising hormone’ stimulates Testosterone production.
Reduced Testosterone produces ;
Fatigue Tiredness, lack of energy
depression or low mood
irritability anger or bad temper
anxiety or nervousness
Loss of memory or concentration (Note the “bumbling, dumb men” so typified in Adverts and modern “Sit - Coms”)
Relationship problems
loss of sex-drive or libido
dry skin on face or hands
sweating day or night
aches and pains or stiffness in back or joints
loss of fitness
feeling “stressed”
Some or all may be present and some are more apllicable to older men
High T males exhibit ;
Leader in the type of work
competetive
Power job
Energetic
High earner
Risk Taker
Winner
Early and intense puberty
Body hair
Athletic, muscular
Highly sexed
Possible Alcohol related problems
Naturally most men will fall between these extremes - so it is up to women to choose which they prefer to engage with (oh and DO look up “Hypergamy” ) These things are rarely as simple as they might seem ! - but on the scal of continuum - most “Men” nowadays tend towards the former (which som emay regard as “sensitivity” etc) and the latter will tend to be fewer - leading perhaps to the common cry "Where have all the good men gone"? "
Great post - completely off the topic of trading currencies but I do agree - yes I’m also aware of hypergamy.
There are no initiation rights for western males anymore - something that so called primitive societies still undertake (but getting less every year).
The western male is a shabby lot generally and you forget to mention the ultimate estrogen juice of them all - alcohol - which is endemic in society.
In closing, where have all the good men gone? Men are totally confused because women always say they want a good man - when really what they mean is they want a man who is good at being a man.
Thank you John - we ARE in the “Lobby” though - which makes it ok to deviate !
Good point I had intended to adapt my post t refer to “Western males” - since Asians and Eastern Europeans etc do not seem to exhibit the same Decline in fertility - and for those committed to “Wokeness” in all it’s various forms, the declining “masculinity” of their men may well lead them to reflect at length at some future point as to whether they prefer the new “World Order” or whether having their own “toxic men” might have saved them from being overrun ! - Time will tell !
Do you have a link or a mechanism for the way that works ? Carruthers certainlt refers to “Beer Belly” and “Brewer’s droop” in his writings which seems to come from the Hops in his opinion - whereas I think the barley may also be implicated - but AFAIK - wines and spirits are less so (AND there is much which COULD be done to make spirits FAR less toxic - by removing soome of the acetaldehydes and other contaminants - but is not - owing to the way the tax is calculated I believe ! - these are the main constituents of the "Hangover !) - however that is an area I’d like to investigate futher - particularly the alleged “Mechanism” of Alcohol affecting testosterone production)
PS I’m not sure we DO actually “drink more” than our ancestors - I’d say Less - but hey I’m not going to argue that one atm !
[Refer to my Avatar - and to “Gin Lane” - Hogarth - when the drunken men were Press ganged into the service of the Navy ! and woke up in the middle of the Altlantic - They were raging alcoholics - hence the “Navy Rum” - tots of 80% abv dished out in quarter pints - daily]
Don’t blame the lads mate - It’s NOT their fault - any more than the castrated dog can be blamed for lack of aggression !
Completely true - but you have to bear in mind too that women often don’t really understand WHAT exactly they want - and the lads very often have no “dad” to copy and to teach them HOW to be “men”.
I’m sorry, pets? I think you took that too far. I didn’t get that message at all from the article. With you even mentioning dogs in there… I’m wondering if we even read the same article…
Damn - just spent best ppart of an hour replying and it said “Save as draft”? - Now I don’t know how to get it back ! - so I’ll take a break for a bit - unless someone can help ?
Ah maybe you used a different browser or something? Sometimes that happens to me but if I use the same browser I used to type the draft, it’ll show up?
Maybe follow the same path again. Create a file, give it a unique name, ask the forum to save that (somehow - maybe drop it into the reply box), and then search the device’s files from your File Explorer view, use Ctrl-F for example. It should always save stuff to the same place.
Oof this all of a sudden made me think about the migrant workers in Dubai. No passport, probably very little money, locked up in a building so they just work day in day out… I suppose maybe some can consider that SOME money and SOME sense of autonomy given that they can KIND OF provide for their families. Perspective I guess?
This research result isn’t surprising at all because we are raised by a society that makes us believe that a man is only as worthy as his contribution to society.
“Only women, children, and dogs are loved unconditionally,” a man is only loved under the condition that he provides something.” - Chris Rock
I think most serious commentators will tend towards agreeing that “What women want” and “What women SAY they want” are two entirely different things !
Ok well I did promise to come back on this one and have made many false starts because the subject is so vast and multi - facetted.
Firstly the “Article” is written by a “Feminist” - so we should be wary of a) her results and b) her motives in stating her “conclusions”.
Now both of the “Studies” mentioned suffer from the same fault - and I think that is a pretty devastating one !
The fault is that both of those “studies” take their votes from
Self selecting Polls Participants ! who are likely to be similar to each other in age and interests
A further issue is that the voters do not have the chance to compare their “happiness states” through various relationship states in their lives - just “NOW”
One is prompted to wonder WHY do the Feminiinsts care “what keeps men happy” - they have never bothered before ?
That my good sir seems to be the crux of the matter ! - Every woman know how to look through the lens of Feminism and although only 7% (at the last count) actually regard themselves as “F…ists” - they All know the rules - and almost all men and boys have been brought up in a society which means they also know how to look through that distorted lens - often with barely concealed horror (although they are told to be ashamed of their sex )
This being the case - a great many men and boys are now aware of the “Crimson Capsule” - and due to the ambivalent curse of low testosterone - they no longer have the all consuming desire to “Be with” a woman at all costs.
The lads in the early replies - exemplify the “Kickback” which women are now experiencing - many of the “Best men” just can’t be bothered to jump through these impossible hoops only to end up in the fire- pit - at the slightest whim of their “partner” - or even a random co-worker.
Being a “Boating man” of several “ex-relationships” - There is a great deal of sense in the old adage
"If it Flies, Floats or F’’’'s - Rent it ! - Who needs the complication of a “Wife” ? when the chances of success are way less than 50% and the cost of failure is catastrophic ?
It should also be noted that since the 1970’s generally “Happiness” among women has been steadily declining - whilst among men it has been steadily increasing
It’ll be interesting to hear what @ponponwei has to contribute - be great if we could get an ACTUAL discussion going between the genders - without getting all defensive !
)
So don’t knock it - your mothers and grandmothers WANTED us this way ! 
