Mental health and the manosphereMental health and the manosphere
All In The Mind
This week, we unpack the appeal of masculinity influencers and the psychological needs they fulfil, like the need for certainty and a sense of purpose. Because interestingly, boys and men who consume manosphere content are more optimistic about their futures — but they're also more likely to struggle with their mental health. We also get advice for parents on how to talk to their kids about some of the more extreme elements of the manosphere (hint: don't lecture, lead with curiosity). Guests: Dr Zac Seidler Clinical psychologist Global Director of Research at Movember Associate Professor, Orygen, The University of Melbourne Ben Vasiliou CEO of The Man Cave More info: The State of Man on ABC iview To explore more great episodes from the award-winning psychology podcast All in the Mind with host Sana Qadar, download the ABC Listen app (Australia) or search 'ABC All in the Mind podcast' wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more episodes on mental health, trauma, attachment theory, wellness hacks, and family relationships. You'll also hear interviews with experts like Esther Perel, Billy Garvey and Ethan Kross. All in the Mind is created for ABC's Radio National by specialist journalists and reporters at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
29:37•23 Oct 2026
Mental Health, Masculinity Influencers and the Boys Caught in Between
Episode Overview
- Masculinity content can shift quickly from everyday advice into misogyny and riskier behaviours.
- Young men who consume a lot of manosphere material may feel optimistic about their futures yet are often highly distressed right now.
- Influencers appeal by offering simple, certain rules in confusing times, but this can trap boys in harsh success–failure thinking.
- School workshops that use emotional check-ins and open group conversations can help boys share feelings and support each other.
- Parents are urged to replace worry with curiosity, learn the online language, and talk with their children without lecturing or shaming.
“"Don't try and educate. Try and understand."”
What drives boys and young men towards online masculinity influencers, and what does that do to their mental health? All In The Mind takes this head-on, looking at the manosphere through both research and real-life stories. Clinical psychologist Dr Zac Seidler, Global Director of Men's Health Research at Movember, talks about how seemingly harmless searches like "how do I talk to a girl" or "how do I get fitter" can slide quickly into darker territory.
He explains that the jump from gym tips to steroids, or dating advice to misogynistic pickup artistry, used to be huge but is now "a step" thanks to social media algorithms. Fascinatingly, young men who watch a lot of this content often feel more optimistic about their futures, yet are also more distressed, anxious and risk-taking in the present. Zac suggests that manosphere content hooks into young men's hunger for certainty.
Influencers promise simple rules — get ripped, get rich, get a girl — and that clarity can feel comforting when life feels confusing. But the more they watch, the more their goals shift out of reach, leaving many stuck in a harsh success–failure mindset that hurts their mental health. Youth worker Ben Vassloo, CEO of The Man Cave, brings in the school perspective.
His team runs whole-day workshops with boys as young as 10, using tools like emotional "check-ins" and group conversations to help them talk about grief, family stress and friendship. He describes boys calling out extreme content, but also repeating alt-right style phrases, showing just how mixed the picture is. For parents, the advice is clear: "Don't try and educate.
Try and understand." Both guests urge adults to replace worry with action, learn the language of the manosphere, and ask curious questions rather than lecturing or shaming. Underneath it all, they see boys with "rich, beautiful, heartfelt internal worlds" who just need safer spaces to show them. So, how might you start a more curious conversation with the boys in your life today?
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