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Photo: Movember Australia
It was ‘the little things’ that prevailed when men across Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States were asked ‘what they would miss most’ if they were no longer around, according to research* released by the Movember Foundation. The little things were what 75% of men’s loved ones would miss most about them if they were gone tomorrow – including his stories (18%) and his advice (16%) to his smile (8%) and his laugh (5%) to his jokes (9%) and quiet time together (18%).
Movember Development Manager, Kieran Ryan, who grew up in regional Victoria, said it was the little things that he missed the most when he lost two friends during his early 20s, after they took their own lives following ongoing mental health battles.
“There’s a lot of little things I miss about the boys now that they’re no longer here, that I didn’t fully appreciate at the time,” Mr Ryan said. “With Liam it was his mischievous nature, the cheeky smile on his face when he was clearly up to no good; and for Marc it was his bellowing laugh and his energy for life, he was the kind of bloke who would just drop everything and rock up at your front door.”
‘True love’ and ‘personal relationships’ were also a common theme that men would miss. After friends and family (84%), a third (33%) of men surveyed confirmed they don’t want to miss out on true love – even more so than becoming a millionaire (24%) or visiting the Seven Wonders of the World (24%).
Furthermore, the data revealed that although we live in a digital age, texting isn’t enough because old school communication still means the most when keeping in touch with loved ones. Across markets, two in five people surveyed (43%) say ‘in person’ communication means the most, followed by a third (34%) who say a ‘phone call’ is the most meaningful.
When it comes to keeping tabs on the well-being of the men in their life, women check in the most – within the past week, almost three quarters (72%) of women surveyed have asked a man in their life how they are doing and over two thirds (68%) have given him a hug.
And, while men are very aware of their own mortality when it comes to facts and figures – with almost three in five men (58%) believing the statement that men die on average six years earlier than women – over one fourth (27%) of women take a more proactive role in managing the health of the men they care about (e.g. asking if they had a check-up lately (18%) or schedule a doctor or dentist appointment for them (17%).
Across the world, men die an average six years younger than women, and for reasons that are largely preventable. The stats are startling:
- 1 in 8 men will get prostate cancer in their lifetime
- 1 in 2 men will be diagnosed with cancer
- Testicular cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in men ages 15-29
- 3 out of 4 suicides are men
- More than 500,000 men take their own life every year. That’s one every minute.
“When we look at these stats, it becomes so clear that there is a men’s health crisis,” says Owen Sharp, CEO, Movember Foundation. “There is a lot that needs to be done, but by talking about it, by encouraging our friends to take action for their health and supporting them, we can help keep the men we love around to live happier, healthier, longer lives. They don’t have to miss out on those key moments that matter most.”
Here’s how you can help: Simply sign up at Movember.com and fundraise by Growing a moustache, making your Move and getting active for men’s health, Hosting an event or making a donation.
*Consumer data was collected via an online survey administered to a nationally representative sample of 18+ adults in 4 markets (Australia, Canada, UK and USA). In total, c.4,000 people (1,000 per market) were sampled. The survey was commissioned by the Movember Foundation and conducted by Research Now in Oct 2017.