Social mattering refers to an individual’s perceived sense of significance in the world and is a key aspect of overall mental health. Using data from a representative survey of adult Americans, we test the extent to which societal-level status, community engagement, group memberships, and interpersonal attachments affect men’s and women’s sense of mattering. We find that women gain social significance to the extent that they feel attached to others interpersonally, in terms of romantic relationships, parenthood, friendships, and closeness to family. Men’s sense of mattering is significantly influenced by broader social factors, like their strength of attachment to the Republican Party, their social media use, and their ability to donate money to the community. These differences suggests that gender norms lead men to also seek significance from the broader community and through group memberships while women rely mainly on their close social ties to feel like they matter.

社会重要性是指个人对世界的重要性感知，是整体心理健康的一个关键方面。我们使用来自成年美国人的代表性调查数据，测试社会地位、社区参与、团体成员身份和人际关系对男性和女性的重要感的影响程度。我们发现，在浪漫关系、父母身份、友谊和与家人的亲密关系方面，女性在人际交往中感受到与他人的依恋，从而获得社会意义。男性的重要感受到更广泛的社会因素的显着影响，例如他们对共和党的依恋程度、他们对社交媒体的使用以及他们向社区捐款的能力。