In this video, Mikhail Varshavski, DO, who goes by "Dr. Mike," talks with social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, PhD, about how online elements -- like the "manosphere"and the "looksmaxxing" community -- are negatively affecting teen boys' mental health.
Following is a partial transcript of the video (note that errors are possible):
Varshavski: What I'm seeing in my practice is boys coming in with all sorts of body image issues, body image concerns that used to be typical curiosities around puberty or this passing phase of insecurity during puberty, which passes. But now it seems like this transitional phase during puberty, insecurity, is now becoming a lifelong identity crisis, or at least feels like it. Why do you think that now transitions happen?
Haidt: Yeah. So, suppose you have boys trying to evaluate themselves. Where am I among the other 15 boys in my class? And there are lots of ways that I could be cool or not. There are lots of different sports that maybe I could be good on. And so, I'm not automatically condemned to the basement here forever.
And then you put them in a world in which there are all these signals and it's overwhelmingly based on your looks. Now, that has long been true for girls, so it's horrible for girls. But now it's becoming the case for boys because you don't even get to show off your athletic prowess. It's how do you look? Do you look masculine, tough, dominant? It's like you were happily enjoying childhood and now you're thrown into this seething cauldron of middle school and suddenly renegotiating this. And you're looking for guidance to where? To your parents? To the people in your community? No, to the streamers and social media people who are the most extreme, who have been able to garner the most likes. So, it's sick. It's, it's cruel.
