Are Men Really That Helpless?
Women have known throughout the ages that men are hopeless at taking care of themselves. A study by the experts at Stockholm University has proven this.
The Facts:
Data from a 1990 Swedish Census showed that the factor that was the best predictor of a long life for a man was the level his wife’s education and not the man’s education.
It was already a proven fact that man will live longer with any woman at his side. Married men live longer than single men.
This had been found before in many past studies, but it was hard to tell just which came first – the chicken or the egg. Researchers could always question, “Do married men live longer than their single counterparts because marriage helps them in some way or is there something about men who live longer that predisposes them to marry? (Perhaps being smarter)!”
Now we know for sure it is the woman’s touch.
This is probably why a US health expert suggests a nagging wife can help a man to live to a ripe old age.
Dr. Robert Butler, director of the National Institute on Aging, suggests that women “could nag then a little more on certain things. To be moderate in smoking and drinking, for instance and keeping them physically more active.”
The Implications (musings from a man)
The trouble with men is that we don’t seem to know how bad we are at taking care of ourselves.
We think we are pretty good at just about everything!
We don’t even think much about nutrition, and acid alkaline balance is something we do to start the car in the morning.
Or perhaps the real problem is our male ego. Maybe we have always known on some level how hopeless we are at so many things but we don’t want to admit it.
Maybe the smart women in the study don’t know a lot more about health and nutrition than the less educated ones but they are smarter at getting the men to follow their advice, or even better – at getting to men to think the advice was the husband’s idea.
For some reason, I can write about how helpless (read: dumb) men are and it doesn’t bother me. Perhaps by writing about it I put some distance between me and all those “other guys.”
If you look at this closely though, this is just male one-up-man-ship all over again. And the distance is very small. I had to learn about nutrition because I got myself in trouble. You can read about that here.
And the fact is, late into my life I am constantly being reminded of how hopeless I am at the most simple of household events. I thought it would be fun to list a few of my known gaps plus stories I have come across. Please share your own comments and stories below.
Four Plus Ways Men are Helpless
1. After decades of trying I still haven’t learned how to wash clothes properly. My 21-year-old daughter will not allow me to even touch her clothes. This sounds reasonable with a 21 year old but this started when she was 10.
2. Most women are somewhat horrified by my level of cleanliness. I just don’t get what all the fuss is about. When we have business meetings in my home, Diana will come over an hour early to organize and clean what I think is an immaculate home.
3. I have male friends who think that the way to balance a meal of pizza or burgers and fries is with equal amounts of Coke or beer. The Coke is considered the smart choice because the acid in Coke somehow helps digestion.
4. As Shane Watson of the UK Times writes, “Men will only do exercise that results in a calf injury, and only in binges, so they are grey with exhaustion every day for a week, then laid up for the rest of the month. There’s also the struggle to prevent men walking to work in winter with sopping wet hair, wearing only a shirt; or reminding them not to shut the tea towel in the oven door, because that’s what causes all the black smoke and flames.”
One Last Joke:
“Married men live longer than single men. But married men are a lot more willing to die.” –Johnny Carson.
Advice to women: the world’s health depends on you – make sure you take care of yourself!
Advice to Men: The average woman will live longer than you. If that bothers you, the solution is simple - get married. If you are already married - start listening your wife!
