Influencers linked to the online “manosphere” are persuading healthy young men that normal changes in energy, mood or libido signal low testosterone, according to a study in Social Science and Medicine.
Researchers analysed popular posts on TikTok and Instagram, finding testosterone testing and treatment were often framed as essential to masculinity, despite routine screening being medically unnecessary for most young men.
The lead author, Emma Grundtvig Gram of the University of Copenhagen, said normal life experiences were being portrayed as medical problems, driving demand for tests and supplements with little proven benefit. Experts warned this “medicalisation of masculinity” risks unnecessary treatment and side effects, while many posts had undisclosed financial motives.
