Researchers found that men who feel they fall short of society’s “macho man” standards and are unhappy about it may be more likely to commit violent assaults using weapons than men who are comfortable with their masculinity. 

In general, men are more likely than women to suffer from poor health and injury, likely because they tend to gravitate toward riskier behavior, the researchers said. Men typically are more prone than women to engage in substance abuse, binge drinking, reckless driving, violent acts and to carry weapons than women. [5 Myths About the Male Body]

The researchers tested their theory that men’s dangerous, risk-taking behavior stems from insecurity with their masculinity; when a man perceives himself to be less masculine than traditional societal standards and feels that others see him the same way, he is said to have “gender role discrepancy,” and the tension he feels is known as “discrepancy stress.”