Zuckerberg Thinks Workplaces Need to ‘Man Up’ − Psych Says That’s Bad for All Employees

“My research, for example, has shown that when men feel pressured to fulfill certain masculine expectations, they can develop fragile masculine identities, which are linked with aggression and anxiety”

FILE - Mark Zuckerberg talks about the Orion AR glasses during the Meta Connect conference on Sept. 25, 2024, in Menlo Park, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez, File)
FILE - Mark Zuckerberg talks about the Orion AR glasses during the Meta Connect conference on Sept. 25, 2024, in Menlo Park, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez, File)
Godofredo A. Vásquez/AP
1 min read
Share
FILE - Mark Zuckerberg talks about the Orion AR glasses during the Meta Connect conference on Sept. 25, 2024, in Menlo Park, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez, File)
FILE - Mark Zuckerberg talks about the Orion AR glasses during the Meta Connect conference on Sept. 25, 2024, in Menlo Park, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez, File)
Godofredo A. Vásquez/AP
Zuckerberg Thinks Workplaces Need to ‘Man Up’ − Psych Says That’s Bad for All Employees
Copy

When Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg appeared on a Jan. 10, 2025, episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience,” he lamented that corporate culture had become too “feminine,” suppressing its “masculine energy” and abandoning supposedly valuable traits such as aggression.

The workplace, he concluded, has been “neutered.”

Perhaps not surprisingly, Zuckerberg has also embraced stereotypically masculine pursuits in his personal life. He’s become a mixed martial arts aficionado and has shared his affinity for smoking meats. On his expansive Hawaii compound, he’s even taken up bow-and-arrow pig hunting.

He’s come a long way from the geeky image of his youth.

But is Zuckerberg right? Do workplaces in the U.S. need to embrace a more diesel-fueled, street-fighting, meat-eating mentality?

As a social psychologist who studies masculinity and aggression, I think it’s important to evaluate what the science says about Zuckerbeg’s claims – and to consider what it means for the future of workplace culture in the U.S.

Read the full article on The Conversation.

The Pope’s final public appearance was greeting the faithful for Easter Sunday
Proposed state legislation would shield libraries from censorship, support free expression, and limit who can challenge books in schools
As funding dries up and political scrutiny intensifies, artists turn to grassroots networks, mutual aid, and historical resilience to navigate a turbulent new era in American arts and culture
Where are things headed if the Trump administration flouts the rule of law? With Elon Musk overseeing sharp cuts to government programs, how should Democrats respond? And how can people concerned about the Trump administration make their voices heard?
The nonpartisan demonstration focused on calling out billionaires. Organizers said their aims were to put power back in the hands of people
Rob Martin spent decades making the ocean safer for whales and fishermen alike. Now, after losing his NOAA job under Trump’s cuts, he fears the cost of silencing science and sidelining expertise