A study at Swansea University found incels - or involuntary celibates - overestimated physical attractiveness and finances, while underestimating kindness, humour and loyalty.

The study's co-author Andrew Thomas said "thinking errors" could "lead us down some quite troubling paths".

He said mental health support was crucial, as opposed to "demonisation".

The term refers to a community, largely online, of mainly heterosexual men frustrated by their inability to form romantic or sexual relationships.

The idea dates back more than 30 years and was popularised by a website offering support for lonely people who felt left behind.

Study: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00224499.2023.2248096

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[–] Everythingispenguins 32 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (12 children)

I know people are going to hate this take ...

These people are victims, and to do anything other than try to support them is victim blaming. They are literally perpetuating a cycle of abuse.

They feel left out of society, a society that judges them based on whether or not they are a provider. Then makes it impossible to be a provider. They have been told they are worthless and undeserving of real emotional connections.

Wouldn't you be angry if that was you? I don't know why people are so surprised that people that are left out create insular groups. It is these groups that the sadness and anger they feel is magnified into what we see expressed in the world by them.

They can be helped the younger they are the easier it will be. Everybody who laughs at this and says they deserve it is perpetuating the abuse and victim blaming.

[–] totallynotarobot 13 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Lots of people are left out of society, that’s no excuse for violent hatred. There are plenty of men who don’t turn into disgusting abusive trolls; the ones who do don’t get a pass because life is hard.

It’s obscene to suggest that they don’t have a choice or bear responsibility for their actions. It insults and directly harms both them and their victims.

[–] Everythingispenguins 10 points 1 year ago

I never said it was. Not everyone turns to violence, but you find that in any group that has felt left out of society some members will turn to violence. Tell them they shouldn't be violent while at the same time not being willing to work toward a society where people don't need violence to feel heard will never make things better.

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