Costello et al. 2022 — Levels of well-being among men who are incel

What the study found

Costello, Rolon, Thomas and Schmitt compared 151 self-identified incels with 378 non-incel men across a range of psychological measures. They reported that incels fared worse than the comparison group on mental-health and life-satisfaction outcomes. ^[1]

incels had a greater tendency for interpersonal victimhood, higher levels of depression, anxiety and loneliness, and lower levels of life satisfaction

^[1]

The study also noted demographic contrasts — the incel sample was less white (63.58 per cent versus 75.13 per cent) and more likely to live with parents or caregivers (50.34 per cent versus 26.95 per cent) — but found no political-orientation difference between groups (means of 2.94 versus 2.93 on a five-point scale). The authors describe incels as a newly identified at-risk group to target for mental-health interventions. ^[1]

Why it matters here

The findings recur in debates over how dangerous incel and "red pill" communities are. Rather than framing incels primarily as a security concern, the study characterises them as a population marked by elevated psychological distress — evidence that bears directly on whether incels are a terror threat. The same data inform the broader question of whether most red-pill followers are dangerous, suggesting that isolation and poor well-being, rather than violence, describe much of the group. The authors' call for mental-health intervention frames the issue as one of welfare more than criminality.