Peter Pan syndrome is a thing we’ve come up with to describe millennial men who can’t grow up, but according to a new study, it might be more like Pinocchio.
In partnership with Wakefield Research, Old Spice conducted a survey that polled 500 American men ages 18 to 35 and found that 82 percent who use social media admitted to fibbing or exaggerating online. Fifty-seven percent admitted to fibbing frequently! (At least they are being honest about being pathetic liars?)
Before you roll your eyes at the latest braggadocious Facebook post from the desperate guy you knew in high school, consider that maybe he’s having a tough time of it and his unbelievable boasts are actually a cry for help. (If you’re feeling generous. You could also just label him a liar and hide him from your feed.)
The culprit, evidently, is peer pressure and career anxiety. Eighty-four percent of poll-ees said they feel like their coworkers are trying to one-up them, and 85 percent admit to talking up their careers, even though their current line of work isn’t their dream job. And it’s worse in urban areas: 69 percent (always nice) of city-dwelling dudes are more likely to blow smoke all over your social media feed, compared to 49 percent in the burbs, or 39 percent in the sticks.
The potent brand, which has been helping dudes “sail the seas of manhood” for nearly 80 years, times the data with the release of their new Hardest Working Collection, a performance line of antiperspirants that will encourage men with its “daring new scent,” and body wash that aims to “wash away doubt and anxiety” and give men a new “confidence suit.”
I mean, showering usually puts me in a better mood, so who’s to say a little lather and hot water can’t rescue our shipwrecked generation of men?
