In a recent Good Men Project article, Supportiv co-founder Pouria Mojabi discusses why peer support is the easiest mental health tool for men to utilize, in an era when men struggle to find empowering emotional wellness options.

“Help-seeking differences between men and women are clearly reflected in the data, and yet we, as a society, expect one set of tools to help men and women equally.” Does that sound right?

No, it doesn’t, according to Supportiv co-founder Pouria Mojabi. In the article, entitled “Men and Mental Health: Why Peer Support Works,” Mojabi argues that our society approaches men’s mental health without considering healing hurdles specific to men.

He explores why men utilize mental health tools less frequently than women, as well as what this phenomenon reveals about men’s particular mental health needs: “Men seek mental health help significantly less often than women, across all channels, traditional therapy, teletherapy, even via apps. If we drill down on why that is, we emerge with an understanding of what actually does help.

“The range of emotions it’s supposedly okay for men to feel is too narrow, and society considers most positive emotional coping mechanisms to be feminine (journaling, therapy, touchy-feely heart-to-hearts). Male-friendly coping techniques are limited, which is why so many veer into the self-destructive variety.”

The article touches on mental health tools that men may choose instead of therapy, before landing on a solution that avoids the hurdles of other common healing modalities: online, anonymous peer support. Whereas meditation, chatbots, and in-person support groups may appeal to some, online peer support’s appeal is near-universal.

For more on why peer support works so well for men in particular, read the full article here.