title: Getting to the Heart of Masculinity Stressors: Masculinity Threats Induce Pronounced Vagal Withdrawal During a Speaking Task.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Previous work has found that traditional masculinity ideals and behaviors play a crucial role in higher rates of morbidity and mortality for men. Some studies also suggest that threatening men's masculinity can be stressful. Over time, this stress can weigh on men's cardiovascular and metabolic systems, which may contribute to men's higher rates of cardiometabolic health issues.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study is to explore how masculinity threats affect men's heart rate and heart rate variability reactivity (i.e., vagal withdrawal) to masculinity feedback on a social speaking task.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred and eighty-five undergraduate males were randomly assigned to one of six conditions during a laboratory-based speech task. They received one of two feedback types (masculinity or control) and one of three feedback levels (low, high, or dropping) in order to assess whether masculinity threats influence heart rate reactivity and vagal withdrawal patterns during the speech task.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Men who receive low masculinity feedback during the speech task experienced more pronounced vagal withdrawal relative to those who received the control.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Masculinity threats can induce vagal withdrawal that may accumulate over the life course to contribute to men's relatively worse cardiometabolic health.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 26 Nichol Ave, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.|Institute for Health, Health Care Policy, and Aging Research, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.
authors.forename: Brandon L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Kramer
authors.affiliation: Institute for Health, Health Care Policy, and Aging Research, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.|Department of Psychology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.|Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, University of Connecticut, Hartford, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Mary S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Himmelstein
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 26 Nichol Ave, New Brunswick, NJ, USA. kspringe@rci.rutgers.edu.|Institute for Health, Health Care Policy, and Aging Research, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA. kspringe@rci.rutgers.edu.
authors.forename: Kristen W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Springer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D030141:Feedback, Psychological; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D057228:Masculinity; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014630:Vagus Nerve / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Heart rate variability; Masculinity; Men’s health; Stress; Vagal withdrawal