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I'm not sure if a man is the best person to try to understand what women really want to hear but, as one of the sensitive ones among our species, I'll write this under the impression that the traditional 'man' has long expired. No longer is it the man's priority to focus purely on working hard to support his family over spending quality time with the kids.
I also believe that families are less likely to shape their sons into being the big-macho brute that will never crack to talk about his feelings. Instead, values such as respecting women and growing up to be kind and helpful and above all individual members of society paving the way for a brighter future, with the odd exception slipping through the net, or course.
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In the evermore creative and open society - in this country anyway - the definition of a man is becoming more and more physical. How he acts, as well as his likes and dislikes, is formed from personality, character, personal experiences but not necessarily defined around social norm - nor is it installed into every bloke's head to be into football, or girls for that matter.
Although that's certainly a positive step forward on the right foot, I'm pretty sure there is more that can be done. "An easy way to feel worthless is to deny that your feelings and experiences exist" reports Complex. One of those feelings is guilt. Not quite on the same level as leading to depression, but a happy relationship is upon an honest one, right?
When was the last time you admitted that you were in the wrong to your partner? Okay, when was the last time your partner admitted to you they were in the wrong to you? If you can't pin point the occasion, then maybe it's time for some distressing facts to put this whole topic into perspective.
Mentalhealth.org unveiled that women in England are more likely than men to have common mental health problems and are almost twice as likely to be diagnosed with anxiety disorders. However, in 2013, 6,233 suicides were recorded in the UK for people aged 15 and older. Of these, 78 percent were male and 22 percent were female.
I would suggest that the imbalance is because, although women are statistically more likely to have 'more issues', men who are suffering from anxiety and other mental health problems are more likely to swallow their pride. As a result, men are - together with their 'less issues' - more expected to spiral into deep depression, which is harder to admit, let alone treat.
At least all these men with their deep-rooting issues don't have access to firearms, which is more that can be said for men in the USA. Halting the violence, then, means deconstructing what is in the heart of so many psychopaths, hate. Almost all mass murderers are men. As of 2014, Time cited the number at 98 percent after the college student in Santa Barbara shot dead six people and wounded 13 before taking his own life.
So, maybe the question isn't what women really want to hear from men. Perhaps it should be, what do you want to hear from men? Could it be that both women and men want to hear people talking about their feelings and not just because they have to, but because they want to?
In conclusion, it has been scientifically proven that we as men are more at risk of being mentally ill if we bottle up our feelings. So, why not talk about it?
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