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
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.

From a “Hot Printing” class to running a thriving graphic design company, a Providence couple’s passion for design and their cultural roots have shaped their creative journey together
From Brown’s student journalism on administrative bloat to RISD’s removal of anti-Zionist art, Rhode Island universities are grappling with the tensions between free expression and political sensitivity
Book lovers strengthen community through in-person events and activities
Frustration mounts as massive upgrade to software payroll, finance system runs over initial time and budget
We highlight a few of the many events happening in April across the Community Libraries of Providence – from book sales to a group for artists to get feedback on their work. Plus: what they’re reading at one of the libraries’ several book clubs