Emotional dependency and gendered conditioning

According to the authors, men’s emotional insensitivity is a result of social conditioning rather than just psychology. While girls are encouraged to be emotionally articulate, boys are frequently discouraged from displaying vulnerability from an early age (Chaplin & Aldao, Reference Chaplin and Aldao2013; DeSantis, Eshelman, & Messman, Reference DeSantis, Eshelman and Messman2024). This leads to an emotional imbalance where men rely on romantic partners to express their emotions, which is reinforced by media, education, and family norms (Momeñe et al., Reference Momeñe, Estévez, Griffiths, Macía, Herrero, Olave and Iruarrizaga2024).

Instead of being viewed as a personal shortcoming, this emotional dependence should be reframed as a socially produced result. Structural responses are required: Men’s mental health strategies should prioritize non-romantic emotional scaffolds, such as family openness, peer bonds, and therapeutic channels that de-stigmatize male emotional expression (Oliffe et al., Reference Oliffe, Gao, Kelly, Broom, Ridge, Seidler and Rice2024; McKenzie et al., Reference McKenzie, Collings, Jenkin and River2018; Ceatha et al., Reference Ceatha, Koay, Buggy, James, Tully, Bustillo and Crowley2021; Harries et al., Reference Harries, Smith, Gregg and Wittkowski2023).

Structural vulnerability and breakup distress

Although the article acknowledges men’s pain after a breakup, it ignores how systemic injustice exacerbates this suffering. The experience and management of emotional pain are influenced by socioeconomic status, rural isolation, and limited access to healthcare (Achdut & Sarid, Reference Achdut and Sarid2020; Scanlon & Adlam, Reference Scanlon and Adlam2022; Thodukayil et al., Reference Thodukayil, Raseena, Palaniswamy, Panneer and Parammal2024). Male relationship trauma frequently presents as psychosomatic distress, substance abuse, and even self-harm, conditions that are frequently misdiagnosed or ignored by medical professionals, according to our fieldwork in rural South India (Hosny et al., Reference Hosny, Bovey, Dutray and Heim2023; Kaptein, Reference Kaptein2023).

These realizations call for interventions that are sensitive to cultural differences. Policies pertaining to mental health must promote emotional literacy and normalize men seeking help. To change masculinity norms and eliminate stigma, implementation must focus on local communities, schools, and places of worship (Sagar-Ouriaghli et al., Reference Sagar-Ouriaghli, Godfrey, Bridge, Meade and Brown2019; Roche et al., Reference Roche, Richardson, Sweeney and O’Donnell2024).

Gender roles in diverse cultural settings

If not critically analyzed, the article’s theoretical framework, which is based on evolutionary and social role theory, could result in cultural reductionism (Carter, Reference Carter2021). Extended kinship, religious authority, and collectivist values all have a significant influence on relationship dynamics in non-Western societies (Cross & Joo, Reference Cross and Joo2023; Furstenberg et al., Reference Furstenberg, Harris, Pesando and Reed2020). Extended families frequently offer emotional support in South Asia, reducing romantic reliance (Jahangir et al., Reference Jahangir, Patil and Gangopadhyay2025; Weaver & Karasz, Reference Weaver and Karasz2022).

On the other hand, a lot of women lack the autonomy to start divorces because they are afraid of being socially stigmatized, having unstable finances, or having a disadvantage when it comes to child custody (Villiger & de Vries, Reference Villiger and de Vries2025; Ottakkam Thodukayil et al., Reference Ottakkam Thodukayil, Palaniswamy and Kunjumon2025). Therefore, it is important to interpret the claim that women break up more frequently with caution and consideration for the context.

Cultural overgeneralization is a risk associated with findings derived from WEIRD populations (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic). Global comparative research is crucial for expanding the epistemic base (Krys et al., Reference Krys, de Almeida, Wasiel and Vignoles2024; Burger et al., Reference Burger, Chen, Erut, Fong, Rawlings and Legare2023).

Closer cultural bonds and wider emotional circles

The article reflects individualist Western norms by defining intimacy as emotional disclosure. However, shared responsibility and nonverbal behaviors that have deep emotional meaning, such as cooking, caring for others, and participating in religious activities, are common ways that intimacy is expressed in collectivist cultures (Arahman, Chai, & Lima, Reference Arahman, Chai and Lima2024; Azizah, Anggraini, & Ulfa, Reference Azizah, Anggraini and Ulfa2023).

The notion of romantic exclusivity is challenged by the emotional ties that men develop with their siblings, elders, and cousins in joint family systems, which are prevalent in parts of Asia, Africa, and Latin America (Furstenberg et al., Reference Furstenberg, Harris, Pesando and Reed2020). To prevent pathologizing non-Western forms of connection, researchers and clinicians need to be aware of these cultural scripts (Ramkissoon, Reference Ramkissoon2024; Atherton et al., Reference Atherton, Morimoto, Nakashima and Cross2023).

A comprehensive model of romantic dependency

Wahring et al. provide a model with psychological underpinnings, but structural integration is necessary for an inclusive strategy. It is necessary to theorize romantic dependency using interrelated lenses:

1. 1. Value systems that are individualist versus collective

2. 2. Relationship mobility and financial independence

3. 3. Structural obstacles and stigma around mental health

4. 4. Emotional repression and standards of caregiving

More inclusive, culturally valid, and policy-relevant insights into the dynamics of gendered relationships would be produced by such a model.