College men’s preference for a masculine beverage: examining masculinity threat, drive for muscularity, and body appreciation as predictors

ABSTRACT

The current study addresses recent heightened public and scientific interest in how masculinity influences eating behaviors in men. Utilizing an experimental masculinity threat methodology with 122 college-attending male participants living in the United States, we investigated factors that may influence men’s decision-making between a masculine and neutral beverage. Results indicated that whether or not a participant had their masculinity threatened was not associated with choosing the masculine beverage. However, drive for muscularity (i.e. desire for a more muscular physique) and body appreciation (i.e. positive and accepting attitudes relating to one’s body) were associated with choosing the masculine beverage, regardless of condition. These results suggest that other factors aside from masculinity threat and conformity to masculine norms may substantially impact men’s food-related behaviors, in particular drive for muscularity and body appreciation. Further implications for research and treatment related to men’s appetitive health behaviors are drawn.

KEYWORDS:

• Men’s beverage preferences
• masculinity threat
• masculinity
• drive for muscularity
• body appreciation

Data availability statement

The datasets generated during and analyzed during the current study are available from the first author upon reasonable request.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Compliance with ethical standards statement

In compliance to ethical standards, all participants provided informed consent before participating in the study.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the University of Maryland's Dean's Research Initiative.

Notes on contributors

Thomas P. Le

Thomas P. Le is interested in research at the intersections of counseling, cultural, and health psychology. Specifically, he is interested in investigating topics such as racialized desire, intersectional oppression and resilience, and emotion regulation among marginalized groups. Their research related to gender and mental health has been published in journals such as Psychology of Men and Masculinities and Addictive Behaviors.

M Pease

M Pease is a doctoral student in Counseling Psychology at the University of Maryland, College Park. Their research interests include gender and LGBTQ+ identities, culture and minority populations, and mental health outcomes including addiction, anxiety, and mood disorders. Their research related to gender and health outcomes has been published in journals such as Eating Disorders: The Journal of Treatment and Prevention and Public Health Reports.

Sandra Chijioke

Sandra Chijioke graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park with a B.A. in Psychology and B.S. in Public Health. Her research interests include the adversities faced by minority women on college campuses and how that translates into their daily lives. Her research related to Black women's mental health has been published in The Journal of Clinical Psychology.