TRIGGERnometry: "You've Been Lied To About Masculinity" – Scott Galloway
Date: February 15, 2026
Guests: Scott Galloway, hosted by Konstantin Kisin and Francis Foster
Episode Overview
In this candid and wide-ranging conversation, Scott Galloway joins the TRIGGERnometry podcast to discuss the modern crisis facing young men, misconceptions about masculinity, and the social, economic, and technological changes shaping relationships and purpose. Drawing on data, personal experience, and cultural observations, Galloway outlines why society is failing to empathize with struggling young men, the dangers of synthetic relationships and social media, and proposes a modern "man code" rooted in timeless masculine ideals of provision, protection, and procreation.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The Masculinity Crisis: Data and Personal Perspective
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Male Disadvantage: Galloway opens with stark statistics:
- Four out of five suicides are male.
- Men aged 20−30 spend less time outside than prison inmates.
- 45% of young men (18−24) have never asked a woman out in person.
- Single women now own more homes than men in the US.
- One in seven young men are NEETs: not in education, employment, or training.
([01:02–06:58])
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Root Causes:
- Economic factors: wealth has increasingly shifted to older generations and away from those under 40.
- Social factors: increased isolation and lack of role models, especially for boys from single-parent (mostly maternal) households ([11:32]).
- Technological factors: Algorithms fuel polarization, loneliness, and online activity substitutes for real-life achievement.
"A boy, the moment he loses a male role model, at that moment he becomes more likely to be incarcerated than graduate from college."
— Scott Galloway ([01:02], reiterated [13:07])
2. Shifting Political Axes and Identity Labels
- Political Fluidity: The hosts and Galloway reflect on the meaninglessness and context-dependency of political labels (conservative/liberal), emphasizing personal principles over ideological teams.
- Galloway: "It's the axis that's moving [...] World changes." ([05:22])
- Francis: "I operate based much more on principles than teams. And that's why I reject the label..." ([04:27])
3. How Schools and Society Let Boys Down
- School Bias:
- K-12 education often punishes typical male behavior (restlessness, impulsivity), with boys suspended at double the rate of girls for similar actions ([14:30]).
- Vast majority of primary educators are women, amplifying unconscious bias towards nurturing girls over boys.
- Empathy Deficit:
- Society hesitates to offer empathy or programs for young men, attributing male malaise to historical privilege rather than systemic change.
"We need to weigh in with economic and social programs. But there isn't a rush to help because there's a lack of empathy..."
— Scott Galloway ([13:50])
4. Demonization and Pathologization of Masculinity
- Romantic Interaction Becomes Taboo:
- Galloway argues the natural male drive to initiate romance is now demonized; the majority of women still want men to make the first move but men fear being labeled as 'creepy' ([18:32]).
- Porn and online substitutes exacerbate withdrawal from relationships.
"We've demonized it and pathologized it amongst young men."
— Scott Galloway ([22:21])
5. Embracing Gender Differences
- Delicate Truths:
- Both men and women possess different average strengths; acknowledging this should be normalized, not politicized.
- True masculinity involves protectiveness, provision, and the drive to create and nurture families ([22:45–28:00]).
- Celebrate femininity without denigrating masculinity.
"There's no such thing as toxic masculinity. There's cruelty, there's criminality, there's abuse of power. But true masculinity are wonderful things: protect, provide, procreate..."
— Scott Galloway ([22:52])
6. The Tech Trap: Social Media's Impact
- Algorithmic Harm:
- Social media companies use "godlike technology" to amplify isolation, polarization, and offer dopamine-fueled facsimiles of life (Reddit, Discord, synthetic porn), particularly tempting to less mature male brains ([06:58–11:07], [36:36]).
- Galloway likens the smartphone to a wedge separating young men from friends, work, and romantic life, robbing them of vital social skills ([37:35–43:19]).
"What's worse than keeping you on your phone? It's keeping you away from your friends, it's keeping you away from your wife, it's keeping you away from your kids..."
— Scott Galloway ([37:35])
7. Solutions: Regulations and Personal Codes
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Common-Sense Regulation:
- Ban social media for under-16s, phones from schools, age-gate porn, and remove algorithmic immunity for platforms promoting harm ([46:54]).
- Social media companies must be liable like traditional media for algorithmically elevated content.
- Targeted lobbying and government inaction are barriers.
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The Man Code – Three Legs of the Stool:
- Provider: Prioritize economic viability; men are primarily judged, and judge themselves, by their economic performance ([59:54]).
- Protector: Take responsibility for others’ safety and well-being.
- Procreator: Embrace the drive for love and family; overcome "no" and rejection to develop vital life skills.
- Rejection is essential — resilience and risk-taking are cultivated through it.
([59:54–71:09])
"My code is provider, protector and procreator. And I think all three of those things can serve as guideposts for what a man wants to accomplish and how he helps make decisions and shape his behavior..."
— Scott Galloway ([67:59])
8. Rejection, Resilience, and Mortality
- Reframe Rejection:
- For every “yes” there are many “no’s”; success is predicated on not being afraid to fail ([71:09–73:42]).
- Most regrets among the dying center on not living authentically and being too hard on oneself ([77:39–79:19]).
"The secret to my success is rejection... The only thing successful people have in common, it's just a disproportionate number of 'no's because they're always trying to punch above their weight class..."
— Scott Galloway ([71:09], [73:42])
Notable/Memorable Quotes
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On Male Struggle:
"Men between the ages of 20 and 30 are spending less time outside than prison inmates... We're evolving a species of asocial, asexual males."
— Scott Galloway ([01:02]) -
On Family Formation:
"Most people find the most purpose, the most reward, the most happiness building a life with someone. And when men aren’t economically viable… there’s just less household formation."
— Scott Galloway ([06:58]) -
On Social Media:
"These algorithms and these companies have figured out there is money in sequestering people from... relationships and getting them really angry at everybody else."
— Scott Galloway ([43:19]) -
On Gender Realities:
"It's okay to acknowledge that we have differences... Masculinity, if framed in an aspirational way, can be a great code."
— Scott Galloway ([22:45]) -
On Rejection and Resilience:
"The only thing successful people have in common, it's just a disproportionate number of ‘no’s because they're always trying to punch above their weight class."
— Scott Galloway ([73:42])
Important Timestamps
| Time | Segment/Topic | |-----------|-----------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:02 | Introduction to male crisis: suicide, role models, isolation | | 06:47 | The plight of boys/young men in modern society | | 11:32 | Single parenthood's impact, educational bias against boys | | 13:07 | Disparity in empathy for young men, Red Army Effect analogy | | 18:32 | Demonization of romantic initiative, dating paralysis/porn | | 22:45 | Gender differences, necessity of a masculinity code | | 28:03 | School experience: girls thriving, boys struggling | | 36:36 | Tech/algorithmic impact on identity and relationships | | 46:54 | Concrete regulatory solutions for social media | | 59:54 | The 'man code': provider-protector-procreator | | 71:09 | Overcoming rejection, resilience, and masculinity in practice | | 77:54 | Regrets of the dying, forgiving oneself |
Closing Reflections
Galloway ends on a note urging men (and society) to both accept the finite nature of life and take more risks, forgiving oneself for failure. The key message: masculinity is not toxicity — young men need guidance and a positive code to thrive. Society must acknowledge male struggle, reject adversarial narratives between men and women, and regulate (but not banish) the digital forces fragmenting connection and purpose.
This summary captures the heart of Galloway's nuanced perspectives and the hosts’ explorations — offering both a bird's-eye view and direct speaker insights for listeners and non-listeners alike.