Thank yoy for a very well researched and thought out post. The Man box is utterly horrendous and pressures to conform are every present. When people (men) find out I write about the tender/emotional side of love and relationships, I get the side eye. The "oh are you gay? That stuff is for chicks."

I can understand why the suicide rate is so high for middle aged men, it's when many of them take stock of their lives and feel like they haven't achieved anything that the Man box required. They're emotionally stunted because emotions are considered weakness and they can't process it. The worst part about this is how callous other men are when someone commits suicide. "Oh well, he couldn't hack, what a loser," is a pretty common retort.

I can go on for hours on this topic because it's one of vital importance to study. It's imperative for a well functioning and healthy society, something we are sorely lacking today.