This finding is surprising to many people. And it should be. It is true that for many years health research has focused on men, and women and gender minorities have been largely excluded. But that changed as a result of advocacy efforts, especially by women.
But the advantages men have had in society – higher wages, more power in government and business, representation in health research – have not translated into better health. You can read more about this in our story “A silent men’s health crisis is getting worse.”
I also encourage you to read the comments. It’s surprising how many people are offended by the idea that men suffer. Others say the longevity gap is simply due to biology — and we should just accept it. But I think we can do more. We can start by teaching boys and young men healthy habits and the importance of seeing a doctor — just as we do for girls. Men should get an annual physical with a doctor they trust. We should encourage everyone in our lives to improve their diet, exercise, reduce stress and build social connections. And medical research focusing on gender differences will help everyone. I’ll leave you with this reader’s comment.
“It takes work to maintain good health as you age,” the reader wrote. “And a lot of guys I know look at their body as a tool that only gets attention when it’s broken.”
Read more. You’ll also find some stories about men and boys in our special report on men’s health, which you’ll find at the end.
Test your disability bias
Ableism is rooted in the belief that being able is the ideal, and that people with disabilities are worse than you. Take our new quiz “Are you ableist?” to explore seven scenarios that can demonstrate cognitive ability. The test was created with the input of 25 disability activists and scholars.
Take each scenario at face value. There are always variables that can affect your answers, but try to choose the answer that you think best reflects how you might act in a real-world situation. You can also revise your answers to learn more about why certain situations demonstrate the ability to think. As you can see in the comments, many readers were disappointed with the answers.
While we can’t capture every nuance of good thinking in an exam, the goal of this exercise is to get you thinking. After all, challenging your own biases shouldn’t be easy.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/interactive/2023/ableist-thinking-disability-bias-quiz/?itid=sf_wellbeing_wellbeing_Top%20table_p001_f002
How AI helped patients get their voices back
Many people worry about the dangers of artificial intelligence, but AI also has enormous potential to make our lives better. That’s the case with patients with ALS and other diseases that can cause a person to lose the ability to speak. AI technology has made it faster, easier and more affordable to “bank” your voice and create a computer-generated version that sounds more like the real you.
Meet the people who use these AI-generated voices for a living. The story is best enjoyed with sound.
Patients are told that they may lose their voices. They turn to AI to save them.
