2 Instagram Wellness Posts: Why Women Receive More Support Than Men

By Denushaa Lavan

Have you looked through Instagram and observed inequality in responses to posts about wellness for men and women? While a male fitness influencer may receive fewer comments or even skepticism, a female influencer’s inspiring post may be overwhelmed with heart emojis and words of support. The purpose of our study was to investigate: Do Instagram users react differently to wellness material for men and women? Our research of hundreds of comments provides the answer, which reflects underlying cultural ideas toward gender and wellness in addition to patterns in social media use.

The Research Question

The wellness sector is expanding, and Instagram is a major influence on trends in everything from exercise regimens to mental health guidance. But do audiences react differently depending on the wellness influencer’s gender? To find trends in bias, support, and engagement, we examined comments on postings using the hashtags #womenswellness and #menswellness.

Our hypothesis? More encouraging and upbeat comments would be left on women’s wellness posts than on men’s.

Spoiler alert: We were correct.

How We Studied Instagram Comments

We used a structured coding system to gather and examine 300 comments, 150 from men’s and 150 from women’s wellness blogs, to test our hypothesis. This is how we went about it:

1. Sampling Strategy

• We chose 15 posts from the #menswellness and #womenswellness hashtags.
• We examined ten comments from every post to guarantee a fair comparison.

2. Coding the Comments

We categorized comments into three groups:

• Positive/Supportive: Encouraging words, praise, or motivational responses.
• Neutral/Informative: Questions or factual discussions about wellness.
• Negative/Critical: Skepticism, criticism, or gender-based stereotypes.

For example:

• “You’re such an inspiration! Keep going!” → Positive
• “Does this workout actually work?” → Neutral
• “Men shouldn’t be posting about self-care, it’s not masculine.” → Negative

3. Ensuring Reliability

We developed a codebook and conducted a pilot test to make sure our team agreed on classifications at least 80% of the time to preserve consistency (a typical measure in research known as intercoder reliability).

What We Found

A definite pattern emerged from our analysis: women’s wellness posts were far more positively engaged than men’s. Supportive remarks, such compliments on their commitment or anecdotes of personal empowerment, predominate in women’s posts. Men’s posts are more likely to contain critical or indifferent comments, such as doubts about their fitness recommendations or even rude language that calls into question their masculinity. This is in line with more general social norms that promote women to talk about their wellness journeys while punishing men for talking about vulnerability or self-care.

Why Does This Matter? The Bigger Picture

Our findings are not limited to Instagram comments; they also represent broader social beliefs that have practical implications for gender norms, mental health, and even public health initiatives. This difference in engagement is important for the following reasons:

1. Mental Health and Gender Stereotypes

According to research, males are less likely than women to seek mental health treatment because of the stigma associated with “appearing weak.” Self-care isn’t “masculine,” which is further supported when men’s wellness posts get fewer encouraging (or even critical) responses. This starts a risky cycle: Men may be unintentionally deterred from talking about wellness by social media, which is the main source of health information for younger generations. For instance, males who accept traditional masculinity norms suffer increased psychological distress, according to research by the American Psychological Association. According to our statistics, Instagram’s comment sections may be reflecting and exacerbating this issue.

2. The Commercialization of Wellness

Despite being a multitrillion dollar industry, the marketing for wellness products, such as detox teas and “self-care Sundays,” frequently targets women. Our results suggest why:

• Women’s wellness content gets more engagement, brands and influencers profit more from women’s wellness content since it receives higher engagement rates.
• Men’s wellness is niche, there are fewer resources, goods, or role models for guys looking for direction because men’s wellness is a niche market.

Result: Men might not receive personalized health recommendations, which would continue to create gaps in wellness education.

3. Algorithmic Bias

Instagram’s algorithm gives preference to material that receives a lot of likes and comments. While men’s postings stagnate, women’s posts get elevated more frequently if they receive more positive feedback. Consequently, a feedback loop is created where:

• Women’s wellness narratives dominate, shaping cultural perceptions of what wellness “should” look like.
• Men’s voices are sidelined, making it harder to challenge stereotypes (e.g., “yoga is for women”).

4. Real-World Impact

These patterns extend beyond Instagram:

• Healthcare: Doctors report that men often downplay symptoms, delaying treatment. Normalizing men’s wellness conversations online could save lives.
• Workplace: Employers promoting “wellness programs” might overlook men’s needs if public discourse frames wellness as feminine.
• Policy: Public health campaigns (e.g., mental health awareness) could fail to reach men if messaging doesn’t resonate with their perceived norms.

What Can We Do?

• Audiences: Actively support men’s wellness posts with the same enthusiasm as women’s. A simple “This helped me!” can combat stigma.
• Influencers/Platforms: Highlight diverse male wellness stories (e.g., athletes discussing therapy) to redefine masculinity.
• Researchers: Study how algorithmic bias affects gendered wellness visibility.

Conclusion: What Should Change?

Our study demonstrates that Instagram users react differently to wellness material for men and women, but it also poses significant queries:

• Should wellness influencers and platforms encourage more inclusive conversations?
• How can we challenge stereotypes that limit men’s openness about self-care?

Think about how gender prejudices might affect your response the next time you encounter a wellness post. Making wellness a more welcoming environment for everyone could be achieved with only a supportive remark.

The author thanks the research team: Harman Pooni, Julia Markle, and Denushaa Lavan