Stubbornness and Men's Health

Stubbornness and Men’s Health

By John M Oldham MD

Not long ago, an interesting piece appeared in the New York Times entitled “What Does It Take to Get Men to See a Doctor?” (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/25/magazine/mens-health-doctor-masculinity.html?searchResultPosition=2). The author, Helen Ouyang MD, reports that in the US, men are more likely to die at younger ages than females. And that men die at higher rates than women from 14 of the top 15 causes of death. “Men simply don’t go to the doctor as often,” she says. She notes that the Affordable Care Act covers only 1 preventive service targeting men, while listing 27 for women. Among the many considerations in this thoughtful essay, Ouyang refers to a culturally-endorsed set of masculine behaviors, such as dominance and aggression. “Men trapped in this man box,” she says, “are less likely to seek medical care and more likely to engage in…behaviors detrimental to their health.” And, she adds, they often endorse roles associated with traditional masculinity, putting work ahead of medical concerns. They often believe they just need to “man up” and power through any illness or infirmity.

Featured in this article is the Cutler Center for Men, an innovative program near Cleveland, designed like a comfortable sports and fitness center. There’s a dedicated support team of “Joes,” navigators who personalize each man’s care, managing appointments and health maintenance schedules. “The answer is never no,” one Joe said, but to be a “bulldog” to get whatever a patient needs.

Needless to say, there are tons of constraints facing women and men as they manage family healthcare, finances, insurance coverage, and availability of quality care. Centers like the Cutler are hard to find, much less to afford, as are comparable resources for women. But this novel program targeting men’s health is interesting to know about.

In the language of NPSP25, what are the personality styles that might most likely reflect the alpha male, the macho man, the tough guy, the guy with the broad shoulders? Aggressive, for sure, as well as Self-Confident, Vigilant, and sometimes Adventurous. Conscientious can be there as well, though it’s not always obvious. For such a man, figuring out how to “lighten up” and be a little less stubborn and “always right” might be a good idea. Which might help guys like that admit that their bodies aren’t immortal and that, with proper medical help, they could live longer!