supportive relationships — Positive Psychology and Mindfulness Practices to Help You Thrive

On a busy Friday morning at the L'Enfant Plaza in Washinton D.C., a young man dressed in a T-shirt and jeans took out a violin and began to play. For the next 45 minutes, the sounds of Bach, Schubert, Ponce, and Massenet could be heard echoing between the halls of the building. Out of the more than one thousand people who passed by, twenty-seven dropped a few dollars into his violin case, and only seven paused to listen to the music. Unbeknownst to the crowd, that man was Joshua Bell—one of the most famous and talented violinists in the world. His violin? Bell purchased it for nearly $4 million. And just a few days prior, Bell’s sold-out concert at the Symphony Hall in Boston brought in over $250,000 in revenue. Needless to say, his street performance at the plaza, though largely overlooked by those in attendance, was a masterpiece that any classical music lover would be dismayed to have missed (Weingarten, 2007).

Men seek help from mental health professionals less often than women although they are more likely to die by suicide (Addis & Mahalik, 2003). Men are less likely to recognize when they need help, practice healthy coping strategies, and cooperate in therapy (Addis & Mahalik, 2003; Lynch et al., 2018). Many researchers found that men may not seek help because it violates traditional male gender norms (Addis & Mahalik, 2003; Wasylkiw & Clairo, 2018; Yousaf et al., 2015). Society expects men to avoid emotions, which may prevent them from healthily working through difficult emotions; this could contribute to higher suicide rates among men. Men are socialized to be stoic and independent, so they may feel embarrassed or anxious to address their emotions (Yousaf et al., 2015). Additionally, society often describes emotionally vulnerable males as attention-seeking, unstable, or weak (Vogel et al., 2007). So, how can our society encourage men to open up if they want to?

Finding Joy in the Melodies of Life

Encouraging Men to Open Up