What began as an online support group has mutated into a toxic digital echo chamber where men demand sex as a right and use dehumanising language to justify hatred against women, a comprehensive new study reveals.
The research from the University of Córdoba, published in the journal Aggression and Violent Behavior, offers one of the most thorough empirical analyses to date of the involuntary celibate, or “incel,” phenomenon.
The study synthesises recent scientific literature to examine the movement’s causes, social dynamics and real-world consequences — highlighting attacks such as the 2018 Toronto van rampage by self-proclaimed incel Alek Minassian, which left 10 people dead.
While the movement originated in the 1990s as a stigma-free space for people struggling with relationships, the researchers found it has evolved into a misogynistic subculture predominantly made up of young heterosexual men sharing core ideological beliefs.
The “blackpill” worldview
Central to this ideology is the “blackpill” worldview, a deterministic perspective where social hierarchies are rigidly based on physical appearance, a concept known as “lookism.”
Key tenets include viewing sex as a fundamental right denied to them due to female empowerment and blaming women entirely for their inability to form relationships. In this worldview, sex is regarded as a purely transactional act devoid of emotional ties.
“This terminology serves as a pretext for attacking others without guilt — for provoking a moral and emotional disconnection that justifies hate speech,” explained Reyes Rodríguez, a doctoral student in the Department of Psychology at the University of Córdoba.
The study details a distinct lexicon used by the community to dehumanise others and reinforce their narratives. Women are referred to by derogatory terms such as “femoids” (female humanoids), “cattle,” “viper,” and “sperm containers.”
Within their constructed hierarchy, sexually successful women are labelled “Stacys.” At the same time, physically attractive men at the top of the social ladder are known as “Chads”, an alpha male figure incels resent and view as part of the problem.
Deepening radicalisation
Online forums function as echo chambers that validate and reinforce these collective identities. According to the systematic review, algorithms on these platforms do not mitigate the issue but rather amplify incels’ beliefs, mirroring their worldview and promoting content that deepens radicalisation.
Beyond social dynamics, the study highlights significant mental health challenges within the community. Incels report high instances of feelings of loneliness, rejection, low self-esteem, limited social support, as well as higher rates of anxiety and depression.
Despite these struggles, traditional psychological interventions often prove ineffective, with only 15 per cent of incels reporting they feel better after undergoing therapy.
Miguel Ángel Maldonado, co-director of the research, noted that many of these individuals view the problem as residing entirely within society rather than within themselves.
“When someone with such a deeply rooted ideology goes to therapy, they expect their beliefs to be validated, which doesn’t happen,” Maldonado explained.
The researchers emphasise the urgent need to develop new approaches to psychosocial intervention, create reliable methods for directly assessing incels, and design strategies to curb their influence in cyberspace.
