See the latest study of the growing incel (involuntary celibate) population, published open access in Archives of Sexual Behavior. 561 male subjects in the US and UK were recruited from an online Incel forum. Contrary to common stereotypes they are not particularly right-wing and 42% of the sample were non-white. Their mental health is poor, with 39% scoring at least moderate levels of depression and anxiety, 30% meeting the criteria for an autism referral, and about 22% saying they think about suicide nearly every day. The researchers distinguish two separate pathways to Incel identification: (1) dispositional extremism, associated with Dark Triad personality traits (narcissism, psychopathy, Machiavellianism), hostility to feminism, and endorsement of violence, and (2) psychosocial vulnerability, associated with poor social skills, autism, rejection sensitivity, and a background of childhood bullying or abuse.
Incels are not a monolith
