Dr Andrew Thomas19 October 2024

Should We Be Worried About Incel Violence? - Dr Andrew Thomas - #853

0Frameworks

10Insights

Insights & moments

The myth-busts, hot takes, explainers, and tools worth keeping.

Myth Buster· 2

Myth Buster08:00

Sympathy for Incels Is Hard Due to Stereotypes and Bad Branding

Public perception of incels is shaped by media stereotypes of right-wing, unemployed men who hate women. This image, combined with offensive online content, makes it difficult for people to feel sympathy. However, the reality is more nuanced: incels are diverse, include many with autism, and are often suffering rather than inherently malicious.

Media portrays incels as dangerous misogynists, reinforcing negative stereotypes.
Many incels have autism and struggle socially, making online spaces a refuge.
Offensive 'performative antagonism' online is often not believed but used to provoke.
Bad branding and real harmful behavior reduce public sympathy despite underlying suffering.
Lack of sympathy comes from both women (due to content) and men (due to competition or stigma).

“It's based on what they get from the media — very few people who even talk about incels have actually put in a lot of…”
Dr Andrew Thomas · 08:00

#incels#sympathy#stereotypes#autism

Myth Buster17:30

Actual Incel Violence Is Rare Despite Online Harm

While incels cause significant online harm through doxxing and image manipulation, actual physical violence is extremely rare. Compared to organized terrorist groups, confirmed incel-motivated attacks are in the low double digits. Many attacks initially labeled as incel-related are later found to have different motives.

Online harm includes doxxing and non-consensual image edits, but physical violence is rare.
Confirmed incel-motivated attacks are very few, often misattributed.
Incels lack the organization and end goals of terrorist groups.
Labeling them as violent monsters may worsen their isolation and reinforce ideology.

“The number of actual incel attacks is very very small... and not only is it very small, but a lot of them... there's a big…”
Dr Andrew Thomas · 18:00

#incels#violence#terrorism#online harm

Hot Take· 1

Hot Take47:30

Red Pill Manosphere May Be More Dangerous Than Incels

While incels are often seen as the face of online misogyny, the red pill manosphere may pose a greater risk. Incels tend to withdraw and become hopeless, while red pill communities actively use misogynistic ideology to manipulate or opt out of relationships, potentially leading to more real-world harm.

Incels take the 'red pill' and become hopeless; manosphere members use it to act.
Manosphere communities encourage manipulation or opting out of dating.
Incels are less organized and less likely to commit violence.
Focus should broaden to 'online misogynistic ideology' beyond just incels.

“I've been more worried about red pill manosphere communities because... they're using that to inform some sort of action.”
Dr Andrew Thomas · 48:00

#incels#manosphere#misogyny#red pill

Explainer· 6

Explainer02:00

Mental Health and Ideology Predict Incel Harm More Than Networking

A major study found that incel ideology and mental health are about twice as predictive of misogynistic beliefs and condoned violence as online networking. The relationship between mental health and ideology is bidirectional: worse mental health increases immersion in incel ideology, and deeper immersion worsens mental health. This suggests improving mental health could indirectly reduce harmful ideology.

Mental health and ideology are stronger predictors of harm than online networking.
Poor mental health increases engagement with incel ideology, and vice versa.
Supporting mental health may reduce both suffering and harmful beliefs.
Mental health interventions have a better track record than ideology change.

“We found that incel ideology and mental health was about twice the predictive strength of networking.”
Dr Andrew Thomas · 03:00

“The worst an incel's mental health was, the more into the ideology they were, but also the more they got into the ideology, the worse…”
Dr Andrew Thomas · 03:30

#mental health#incels#ideology#misogyny

Explainer13:00

Performative Antagonism: Why Incels Say Outrageous Things

Many incels engage in 'performative antagonism' — saying extreme things not because they believe them, but to provoke reactions and confirm their rejection by society. This mirrors self-sabotaging behaviors in therapy, where individuals preempt rejection by acting in ways that guarantee it.

Incels often say extreme things to provoke, not because they believe them.
This behavior confirms their belief that society rejects them.
It's similar to self-sabotage in perfectionism: 'If I fail first, I control the outcome.'
Media often misrepresents these statements as genuine beliefs.

“They don't believe that sort of stuff for a second... it's specifically to get a rise out of people.”
Dr Andrew Thomas · 14:00

#incels#online behavior#mental health#media

Explainer32:00

Incel Community Is Politically and Ethnically Diverse

Contrary to stereotypes, incels are not uniformly white supremacists. About a third are non-white. Politically, they are generally centrist or slightly left-leaning, supporting policies for the poor. Only a small subgroup that condones violence holds strong right-wing views.

About one-third of incels are non-white.
Most are politically centrist or slightly left-leaning.
They support policies helping the poor and marginalized.
Only 6–10% condone violence, and these tend to be right-wing.

“About a third are bipoc or just non-white... they're actually generally quite centrist and... slightly left-leaning.”
Dr Andrew Thomas · 32:00

#incels#politics#diversity#ideology

Explainer29:30

Reverse CBT: How Incels Harden Their Thinking

Incel communities promote 'cope' as a negative, discouraging any hopeful or nuanced thinking. Instead, they encourage 'hardening' of beliefs — the opposite of CBT, which softens black-and-white thinking. This creates a self-reinforcing cycle where any sign of improvement is punished.

Incels are told not to 'cope' — to avoid any hopeful or nuanced thinking.
They are encouraged to believe their situation is hopeless and unchangeable.
This is the opposite of CBT, which aims to soften rigid thinking.
The 'crabs in a bucket' mentality pulls anyone trying to improve back into despair.

“In the incel community you have this idea of cope... it's essentially encouraging each other to harden up your thinking.”
Dr Andrew Thomas · 30:00

#incels#mental health#CBT#ideology

Explainer45:00

Two Distinct Types of Incels: Socially Vulnerable vs. Ideologically Extreme

Research identifies two clusters of incels: one with high autism traits, low mate value, and bullying history; the other with dark triad traits and right-wing beliefs. These groups need different interventions — mental health support vs. counter-extremism — but are currently lumped together.

One cluster: high autism, low social skills, bullied, hates women due to rejection.
Other cluster: narcissistic, psychopathic, right-wing, ideologically driven.
NHS sees them as a 'prevent' issue; 'prevent' sees them as a mental health issue.
Current labels prevent effective, tailored interventions.

“We found what we think are two statistical clusters... one side you have high autism traits... the other side you have dark triad right-wing beliefs.”
Dr Andrew Thomas · 45:00

#incels#mental health#dark triad#autism

Explainer77:00

When Matters More Than How Many: Body Count Perceptions

Research shows that people care less about the total number of past partners than when those relationships occurred. A person with many partners early in life who then settles down is viewed more favorably than one whose number of partners is increasing recently.

People judge sexual history more on timing than total number.
Increasing partner frequency recently is seen negatively.
Partners confined to youth and followed by stability are more acceptable.
This pattern holds across cultures and genders, with little double standard.

“It's not just about the number, it's about when they happened.”
Dr Andrew Thomas · 77:30

#dating#relationships#body count#culture

Story· 1

Story57:00

Men's Bad Experiences with Female Therapists

Many men report negative therapy experiences, especially with female therapists, feeling blamed or misunderstood. Common complaints include being told their problems stem from 'toxic masculinity' or not engaging with feminism. This invalidation discourages men from seeking help and reinforces the idea that therapy isn't for them.

Men often feel female therapists side with female partners in couples therapy.
They report lack of empathy for dating struggles.
Some are told their issues are due to 'toxic masculinity' or not embracing feminism.
This invalidation makes men feel therapy is not a safe space.

“I've had lots of clients talking about how they've been told that their problem is due to their toxic masculinity.”
Dr Andrew Thomas · 58:00

#therapy#men#mental health#gender