There is nothing abnormal about feeling emotions. It has been a driving force for human relationships. However, there is a myth surrounding who feels them more. Some say men know how to keep things in check. So in that regard, men’s emotions are often balanced. The same school of thought believes women act out. According to this view, women are mostly overly emotional. They allow their emotions to get the better part of them when happy or sad. But are women truly out of control when it comes to their emotions?
Women Versus Men On the Emotions Table
Many have likened women’s feminity to being sensitive and over dramatic. When women react, they are labeled as going over the top. Meanwhile, when a man reacts to the same situation, his inputs are given a better description. Recent findings prove that such a generalization is faulty. In fact, according to science, men and women feel emotions the same way. Neither party is affected by an innate feeling to feel otherwise.
What Does Science Say About Emotions?
Research carried out in 2021 posits that women and men are on the same emotional level. Over one hundred men and women were observed. Consequently, studies proved that men’s feelings were as irregular as the women’s.
How The Emotions Myth Affects Humans
Liz Coleclough, a licensed Social Worker in trauma therapy, claimed there is a downside to this myth. In Coleclough’s opinion, not everyone can conform to a standard. Over the years, society has made emotions based on gender. However, there is never a one-size-fits-all. The trauma therapy explains:
“No person truly fits in these boxes. All people have emotion and need connection. They may present, behave, or identify in a variety of ways outside of their stereotype assigned at birth. However, characteristics and behaviors that land beyond these gendered expectations can bring rejection, exclusion, even danger.”
Making people bend to society’s emotional portals — for men and women, restricts them. If all men grow to think that they must handle emotions differently from women, it would limit them. For a man who sees crying as a big deal, emotions will be bottled in. This could hurt the person’s mental health in the long run. The same thing is experienced when men become too shy to speak out.
On the other hand, many women may not achieve their full potential too. A woman may be hindered from accessing power or authority because of the unhealthy generalization. Coleclough also stands on the notion that the patriarchal society is dictative. Women may be allowed to show emotions but not too much of it. Oftentimes they are even judged before they act.
Final Note
Consequently, emotions are there to foster connections. It should not be a women versus men thing. Instead, both sides should be allowed to experience emotions. They should also be allowed to act outside the box. In the end, what truly matters is how the person feels. It’s never about how society tells them to process emotions.
#Clique, what are your thoughts?
