There’s no denying that men are complicated.
There are literally books devoted to helping women decode the male brain.
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But since there is a stigma around men sharing their emotions (phrases like ” man up ” perpetuate this), a lot of men hold a lot in — until now.
Come take a peek inside the male brain and learn about their deepest, darkest secrets.
They like compliments.
One Reddit user shared that guys hold on to compliments for a long time. “I was told I had pretty eyes once and for sometimes it was the only part of my face that I liked,” they shared.
They won’t share when their girlfriends aren’t well-liked.
“When I first started dating my girlfriend, my friends really, really didn’t like her. They thought she was annoying. And this wasn’t, like, one or two of my friends. It was a pretty universal opinion.” – Kyle R .
They get insecure.
“Honestly, that i have feelings and insecurities just as much as women. I constantly feel like I’m supposed to put my feelings and desires on the backburner because ‘man up’.” – Redditor StrikerPost
This guy double-dipped.
“The night I first met my girlfriend in real life (we met through a dating app), she was my second date of the night. I’ve kept that to myself. I feel like I should tell her, but I also really, really don’t want to.” – Joel B .
They don’t think about sex *all* of the time.
“Sometimes sex isn’t what I want, I just want to snuggle and feel the emotional connection of someone who respects that I can be insecure or anxious sometimes.” – Redditor StrikerPost
They like to have a good cry.
“Sometimes we get overwhelmed by life and just cry, where nobody can see us. That can be in a room we are in by ourselves with the door closed, to a silent car ride home, or even the shower.” – Redditor KentuckyFriedEel
They’re worried about coming off as “creepy” to women.
Given the sexual assault and harassment women have to deal with, certain men are taking their fears into account.
This Redditor shared that he will “intentionally slow down or change my path if I’ve been walking behind the same woman for too long.”
They get embarrassed over having to adjust their “junk.”
“Please dont get grossed out or judge us if we have to adjust our junk. Sometimes they just get in a weird position. It can be really uncomfortable and sometimes painful.” – Redditor dendei_sensei
They get self-conscious about their facial hair.
While some women might love beards, the reality is that not everyone can grow one.
“If you tell a guy he has a thick beard or nice facial hair, it might make their day,” wrote one Redditor .
They struggle with body image too.
It’s not just women who point out their flaws and feel insecure about them.
This Redditor shared that some men compare themselves to bodybuilders who don’t have an ounce of fat on their bodies.
They hate being told to “man up.”
This Redditor shared that it’s “hurtful and embarrassing” when said by another man. But when said by a woman? It’s “straight-up damaging.”
You can learn more about why it’s damaging here .
They still go to their mom for advice.
“There have been lots of times when I’ve gone to my mom to talk about something instead of to my wife. I don’t tell her this, because I’m sure it will hurt her. She thinks I’m the first person I come to with everything.” – Erick H
They can’t admit that their wife is a terrible cook.
This is sort of… sweet?
The guy explained that he feels too rude to complain since he appreciates his wife is going out of her way to cook for him.
They’re too afraid to admit they cheated.
“I cheated on the last woman I was with before meeting my girlfriend. The ex never found out that was why I ended things—that I felt guilty about the cheating—and my current girlfriend doesn’t know about it either.” – Shane H
They love thinking about nothing.
“Being able to think about absolutely nothing is great,” wrote one Redditor . This certainly explains why guys never have an answer when we ask them, “what are you thinking about?”
They love quiet time with their partner.
“Guys really enjoy side-by-side time. It took a while for my wife to figure it out, but side-by-side time is when you are engaged in an activity with someone else, but not necessarily talking to them. You bond through the shared experience of the activity, not by talking to each other.” – Redditor spaceship_moon
They might have an exit strategy.
Good to be prepared, we guess? One guy wrote that he has an INCH bag, which stands for “I’m Never Coming Home.”
It has everything he’d need to survive on his own for a while.
They want to make sure you’re ~satisfied~.
“A lot of us do really care that you finish. For me that’s important,” this Redditor wrote . You might also be surprised to learn that even men fake the big O.
They want romance too.
“We have feelings. Most of us just aren’t comfortable showing them. Surprise us with dates. Hug us. Don’t make us do all the work. Make us feel loved too. That’s truly all a lot of us want in the world.” – Redditor Throw_away91251952
