Researchers from the University of Bergen examine how self-view, rejection sensitivity, politics, and addictions relate to men’s attitudes toward women. The work seeks to understand why some men hold hostile or dismissive views of women and what personal traits and beliefs are linked to those attitudes, using a careful, data driven approach to map the relationship between self-image, social cognition, and gender perceptions in a way that educators and policymakers can use.
Participants included 473 unrelated men aged 18 to 35. They completed a battery of self report instruments designed to capture how they see themselves in relation to attractiveness, how they handle rejection, their sense of loneliness, political leanings, addictive behaviors, and their general perception of women. The researchers anonymized responses and emphasized correlations rather than claiming clear causation, aiming to provide a foundation for deeper investigation across contexts.
Across the data, the clearest pattern showed that the strongest hostility toward women appeared among men positioned at the extremes of self rated attractiveness. Those who rated themselves as very attractive and those who viewed themselves as unattractive exhibited higher levels of negative attitudes toward women compared with men who saw themselves in the middle of the spectrum. The researchers note that similar levels of hostility can emerge from different psychological routes, depending on the individual’s self view and life experience.
For men with very high self perceived attractiveness, narcissistic tendencies and a social dominance orientation may play a role. In these cases, hostility toward women can reflect a desire to maintain superiority or control rather than a straightforward dislike of women. Conversely, men who see themselves as unattractive often experience insecurity and frustration that may be vented through negative judgments about women. In both groups, hostility is not a single flaw but a response shaped by identity and surrounding social context.
Another consistent finding is that endorsement of authoritarian beliefs correlates with aggressive attitudes toward women. Those who favor rigid hierarchies and unquestioned authority tend to justify gender based dominance in ways that can manifest as hostility or coercive behavior. This linkage aligns with broader research on power, social dominance, and gender attitudes, underscoring the role of belief systems in shaping behavior.
The study also identified a link between gambling addiction and misogynistic attitudes in men. While the direction of influence remains to be clarified, the association suggests shared underlying tendencies such as impulsivity, risk taking, and reward seeking that warrant careful interpretation and further study to determine causality and the potential role of co occurring factors.
Taken together, the findings offer a nuanced view of how self concept, belief systems, and behavioral patterns intersect to influence men’s attitudes toward women. They highlight the importance of addressing unhealthy stereotypes in education, mental health resources, and media literacy initiatives. While the results are informative, they should be applied with caution and in context, recognizing that attitudes vary across cultures and over time. Researchers at the University of Bergen hope these insights will inform programs aimed at promoting healthier relationships and reducing gender based harm in communities across Canada and the United States.