‘Red Pill guys’ is a term used to refer to men within online communities that converse about their toxic and harmful views on women and relationships. The term was originally co-opted from the 1999 sci-fi movie The Matrix.
A study has revealed the most common signs in men’s behavior within relationships that suggest you could be dealing with a ‘Red Pill’ guy.
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The term comes from The Matrix
Having been co-opted by online communities, the term ‘Red Rill guys’ is used to refer to men who believe they are ‘waking up’ to the idea that modern society is built for the benefit of women.
This is similar to how Neo in The Matrix takes the red pill to wake up to the hard truth.
A lot of research was done on ‘Red Pill’ men
Many studies have been conducted to examine the use of the term in online spaces as well as its implications on both men and women.
One study published in the journal Personal Relationships examined the connection between ‘Red Pill’ men and ‘Dark Triad’ (DT) personality traits.
‘Dark Triads’ are difficult to deal with
Narcissism, psychopathy, and machiavellianism are among examples of ‘Dark Triad’ personality traits which are found to link to ‘Red Pill’ men.
The study was conducted through multiple interviews with women on the subreddit r/TheBluePill, an online community that counters ideologies of the ‘Red Pill’ guys.
Authors of the study spoke with the women
Those who conducted the study sought to learn about the experiences of women who have encountered ‘Red Pill’ men.
The authors consequently spoke to six women from the subreddit aged 20 to 38 who had been in relationships with ‘Red Pill’ guys.
The study found four common experiences
The authors of the study found four similarities among the six women’s experiences with Red Pill men.
The four similarities were in relations to relationship development, coaxing, outward appearances and DT-associated behaviors.
Women spoke about ‘love bombing’
For relationship development, a common tactic that women shared was something commonly referred to as ‘love bombing’ whereby one partner aims to speed up the pace at which a relationship progresses through excessive expressions of love and affection at a very early stage.
‘Love bombing’ is used to gain control
This method of unexpected and excessive attention and affection at early stages is used to gain control over the relationship.
This is so women are expected to become emotionally reliant on the man’s validation and give up control in exchange for it.
There was also emotional manipulation
Emotional manipulation was strongly present in these relationships with Red Pill men using tactics such as ‘guilt tripping’ and ‘coaxing’.
In talking about Red Pill men, the study pointed out that they “consistently displayed self-interest and willingness to use manipulation to meet their needs.”
Women also felt pressured to conform
Within relationships with Red Pill men, women also shared that they felt pressured to conform to their partners’ desires and expectations of how to act or behave.
The study also mentioned sex being a priority to the men in these relationships.
Men were preoccupied with image
Authors also found that Red Pill men were distracted by their image, which included outward appearances and social status.
Preoccupation with flaunting career achievements to seem more desirable, which is a trait found in DT personalities, was reported by women regarding their Red Pill ex-partners.
