In recent years, an anonymous internet subculture has bubbled its way into the mainstream. Incels, or involuntary celibates, are a group of self-identifying males who resent women for their lack of sexual and social status. But what began as an online support group has morphed into dangerous, extremist, anti-woman ideology.
In 2014, 22-year-old Elliot Rodger murdered six people in Isla Vista, California, before turning the gun on himself. In a chilling YouTube video, he explained that he had committed this murderous rampage to avenge himself against all of the women who had rejected him in the past. "I don't know why you girls aren't attracted to me, but I will punish you all for it," he said.
Since then, Rodger has become an iconic figure among members of the incel community, and his misogynistic ideology has been responsible for dozens of deaths in the U.S. and Canada alone.
Alek Minassian, who killed 10 people and injured 16 more in a van attack in Toronto in 2018, left a post on Facebook hours before the attack saying: "The incel rebellion has already begun...All hail the Supreme Gentleman Elliot Rodger!" Incel ideology centers around the concept of the "black pill." This is based on a term used in masculinist communities, "taking the red pill," which describes awakening to the "fact" that women are vain and vacuous and select their partners solely on genetically determined physical attributes. The black pill goes one step further and rejects the possibility that anyone who does not fit into the stereotype of "ideal" masculinity could ever establish a romantic relationship with a woman.
Until recently, the psychological profile of the members of this community has received little attention. But a new study from the University of Quebec in Montreal, published in the journal Sexuality and Culture, has endeavored to shed some light on the matter. "The 'incel mindset' is best understood as the product of a complex interplay between biological, psychological, and social effects," Stefan Stijelja, who led the study, told Newsweek.
Based on our results, we concluded that the psychosocial causes and consequences of identifying as an incel are difficult to discern: they most likely interact and reinforce each other. Poor social skills, lack of dating experiences, an absence of positive peer relationships, shyness, anxiety, autism, bullying, late pubertal maturation, and body image issues can increase the probability of experiencing a lack of sexual activity. This may consequently contribute to a loss of self-confidence, symptoms of depression, anxiety, loneliness, and suicidal thoughts.
Stijelja was quick to point out that not all sexually inexperienced adults fell into this category. "We know from the literature on asexuality that people can be perfectly happy and have good mental health without engaging in sexual activity," he said. "However, presenting sex as an essential component of a fulfilled life—as our culture tends to do—can pressure people into engaging in sexual activity: this can lead some to experience stress and, in the case of incels, exacerbate their feelings of hatred and resentment."
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