A new study shows that sexism and misogynistic attitudes can be harmful to men's health as men who see themselves as possessing more power than women reveal telltale signs of poor mental health.

According to the lead author of the study, Y. Joel Wong of the Indiana University Bloomington, in general, those who strongly conform to stronger masculine norms are more prone to have poorer mental health and less favorable attitudes in seeking psychological help.

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During the research, the team examined 78 different cases of mental health in the United States that involved 19,453 participants. The researchers also studied the 11 norms of traditional masculinity which include the pursuit of status, risk taking, dominance, violence, desire to win, emotional control, self-reliance, importance of one's job and career, sexual promiscuity, power over women resulting in sexism, and disdain for homosexuality.

In this new study, scientists discovered that the participants who are most likely to suffer from negative mental health problems are mainly white males as well as some are black and Asian-American males, if they conform to these traditional masculinity norms such as sexism and misogyny.

The results revealed that those who strongly possess the norms of self-reliance, pursuit of status, power over women, and sexual promiscuity are more linked to psychological problems.

Apart from this, men who conform to sexism and these norms are also less likely to seek mental health support and treatment. Wong notes that the masculine norm of risk taking can yield positive and negative consequences.

Wong further explains that the masculine norms of those who are sexually promiscuous and assert power over women are associated with sexist attitudes. These two norms that are strongly associated with negative mental health risks and outcomes. This shows that sexism is not only a social injustice but can also be detrimental to the mental health of men who possess such attitudes.

This new study was published in the Journal of Counseling Psychology.