While most people don’t exactly love the idea of growing old alone, men in particular seem to especially loathe it. If you’re wondering why that is, there are several reasons, but they can be summed up in one statement: men are more dependent on their relationships with their wives or girlfriends than they wish to admit.

Even men who claim to be independent can become terrified at the thought of being alone at the end of their lives, and there are numerous reasons why.

Are Most Men Afraid of Growing Elderly Alone?

Human beings were made to be in the company of others – not to be alone. For many of us, being alone feels unnatural, and even if we enjoy the occasional “alone” time, most of us don’t like being alone for long periods of time. Simply put, it is far more natural to be around other human beings than it is to be alone with just ourselves.

If you look at statistics, you’ll notice that after a divorce or the death of a spouse, men tend to remarry much faster and much sooner than women. This is because, while men love to brag about how independent they are, the truth is that they are more dependent on their relationship with their wives than they like to admit.

This means that if the relationship ends, many men find themselves with few or no male friends because the center of their relationships tends to be with their wives and no one else. In fact, both men and women in relationships often center those relationships around their significant other, but as a general rule, men tend to be more reliant on them than women.

So yes, many men are very afraid of ending up alone, both when they’re young and especially when they get old. And the main reason is because when all is said and done, many men are not nearly as independent as they want people to think, in part because they rely on women more than they wish to admit.

Are There Scientific Studies to Prove This?

There are some scientific studies that prove that men are less crazy about living alone than women are, but a lot of the information comes from therapists and people’s general observations. For instance, it is well-known that many (but not all) men do less housework and tending to the children than women do. Because of this, if the woman is out of the picture, the man can feel lost.

In addition, many people feel that because of evolution, men are alert to danger at all times, in part because this might be how they’re hard-wired. When they’re alone, they still feel potential danger and it makes them feel uncomfortable. Women, on the other hand, are nurturers and when they’re alone, they tend to nest and feel more comfortable in their home.

In short, men are more likely to feel they need a significant other in their lives, whereas women tend to be more comfortable by themselves than men are. Does it always work this way? Of course not, but most of the time, this is exactly what seems to happen. For these reasons, the thought of growing old and being alone is often much more terrifying to men than it is to women.

The men that seem to be the most afraid of growing old alone tend to be those that are very social, love being around people, and don’t enjoy being alone even for short periods of time. If they suddenly find themselves single and alone, they often get depressed and may even start to look for their next partner, even if they’re doing it unconsciously.

Growing Old Can Suck Anyway

Even under the best of circumstances, growing old can be difficult. Many elderly people reflect on their lives and sometimes concentrate on all of the things and the people they’ve lost over the years. This can be hard enough, but it’s made even harder when you suddenly find yourself without a partner that you’ve had for a very long time.

But since men, despite what it may seem to most people, are more dependent than women, growing old alone can be devastating for them. This is one of the reasons why so many men seem to die shortly after their wives do. It seems that they indeed may have died of a broken heart.

And if you’re wondering if men can do anything about this phenomenon, they can indeed. Participation in social activities can help. In fact, any time they put themselves in a situation where they can meet people and feel like they belong, it can help them feel less lonely and better about themselves in many other ways.

Indeed, all is not lost when it comes to men dreading getting old and being alone. There are things these men can do to make the situation a little better for them, so they don’t really have to dread certain things such as getting old and being all by themselves.

Conclusion

As a general rule, many men do seem to dread getting older and being alone, and the reasons tend to center on the fact that most of them are less independent, as well as more reliant on women, than they like to admit to others. Men more than women can feel lost without a significant other in their lives, especially if they don’t have a lot of male friends.