Interesting item in The Scotsman here suggesting that men's mental health can be enhanced by going to the pub. The theory (carefully circumscribed by warnings about alcohol abuse of course) is that men can open up in the pub to their friends especially if their inhibitions are diminished by a pint or two.
And the Pope's a Catholic. You wonder if the research was commissioned by somebody who had never been to a pub? But perhaps that is unfair as there may be nuggets of more subtle wisdom to be learnt from the study.
I confess I am a bit wary of research and project work which treats men as an ill-adjusted and endangered species not able to work out how to socialise or get their emotional needs met. I think that you can trust most men to work these things out for themselves even if they haven't embraced their metrosexuality just yet (and they wouldn't thank you if you tried to help anyway) but we should concentrate rather on helping people of either gender who are struggling - and, yes, there may be some gender-specific types of support which can be offered.
Postscript:
I was appalled by the story this week that a zoo is stopping giving bananas to monkeys! Read the shocking story here. Not fair to stop them conforming to normal monkey behaviour - next they will ban those delightful tea parties which they enjoy so much.
