According to the 26Aug2005 issue of THE WEEK (p. 20), “Researchers at Cornell University tested the effect of insecurity on men’s attitudes by giving a survey on gender identity to about 50 men. The men were then told that an analysis of the survey showed that they exhibited ‘weak’ male characteristics — indeed, that their attitudes were effeminate. The researchers then surveyed the men’s attitudes toward politics, religion, science, and car purchases, comparing them with a group of men whose masculinity had not been questioned. The threatened men were more likely to support the war in Iraq, denounce religion, embrace Darwinian evolution, and more likely to express a desire to buy an SUV. In fact, they were so eager to buy an SUV that they said they’d be willing to pay up to $7,000 more for the vehicle than were men in the other group. Masculinity-threatened men also reported feeling more ashamed, guilty, upset, and hostile….”
ADDENDUM: Everything in this quote is right except for the references to religion and Darwinism in bold. It would be interesting to see what this research would have found if these additional categories had been included.