## Metadata - Author: [[Tom Wooldridge]] - Full Title:: Why Some Men Seek Refuge in Ever Bigger Muscles - Category:: #🗞️Articles - URL:: https://psyche.co/ideas/why-some-men-seek-refuge-in-ever-bigger-muscles - Read date:: [[2026-07-27]] ## Highlights > Beneath this rigour lies an unspoken dread. If he relaxes, even for a moment, his body will betray him. Soften. Become ordinary. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01kyhterkhgp3q28s06rkka6w2)) > When Daniel feels sad, he goes to the gym. After his workout, whatever feelings he had before have dissipated, replaced by the pride in the hardness he feels in his body. There’s nothing wrong with managing feelings this way from time to time, but for Daniel and others like him, it becomes compulsive. It empties out their inner lives so that any complicated or difficult emotions are replaced by anxiety and the drive for physical discipline and muscular strength. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01kyhtnpe72s7ytq28aedhstq5))