在日本，「草食男」（草食系男子）的現象長期以來一直受到社會關注，並且隨著時間持續升高。所謂「草食男」，原指性格溫和、行事低調、不主動追求戀愛的男性，但截至2025年，這個群體的特徵更趨極端，部分甚至演變為「絕食系」——完全不追求感情或戀愛，對異性關係保持高度疏離。這一現象背後是多重社會、經濟與文化因素交織的結果。

首先，經濟負擔與低薪化是造成草食男比例居高不下的重要原因。傳統觀念中，男性在戀愛過程中通常需要承擔大部分費用，包括約會花銷、接送交通以及節日禮物等。然而，對於許多年輕男性而言，微薄的薪資難以支撐這些經濟壓力，使得他們對建立戀愛關係產生猶豫或退縮。研究也發現，收入較低的男性，其性經驗或戀愛意願往往較低，因為缺乏經濟信心去組建家庭或承擔情感責任。

其次，職場文化與過勞現象對男性的戀愛意願產生顯著影響。日本社會長期存在加班文化，許多年輕男性每日投入大量時間與精力在工作中，導致身心疲憊，無暇也無力投入情感生活。面對高度競爭的社會環境，有些男性逐漸產生「躺平」心態，放棄追求事業與愛情上的積極野心，而選擇追求安逸、平淡的生活模式。

第三，科技發展與娛樂多元化也進一步降低年輕男性對戀愛的需求。手機遊戲、影音串流、直播平台等提供即時的娛樂與心理滿足，這些虛擬世界中的刺激與陪伴，成本遠低於現實中的戀愛互動，容易讓男性形成依賴感，降低他們尋求真實伴侶的迫切性。此外，科技所提供的低成本陪伴，如虛擬偶像或線上社群，也在一定程度上取代傳統戀愛需求。

第四，性別角色與價值觀的轉變也是不可忽視的因素。部分草食男性性格內向、溫和，對追求異性可能帶來的拒絕、衝突或「責任綁架」感到畏懼，因此傾向保持被動。他們中的不少人也呈現出「好孩子症候群」，即順從他人、缺乏主動進攻的特質。新型態的低成本、低責任關係模式，如「睡友」（僅相伴而眠）或非正式伴侶關係，則反映年輕男性對「輕關係」的追求，進一步減弱對傳統戀愛的興趣。

截至 2025 年，數據顯示這一現象已相當普遍。調查指出，超過四成的二十歲男性未曾有過任何約會經驗，而三十歲男性中，每四人就有一人持不婚主義態度。語彙上也呈現演進趨勢：最早的「草食系」男性，逐漸延伸至追求極簡生活的「第三波男子」，再到對戀愛幾乎無感的「絕食系」，顯示日本年輕男性的情感傾向日益疏離、被動與自主性降低。

總結來說，日本草食男現象是經濟壓力、職場文化、科技娛樂替代及性別觀念變遷等多重因素交互作用的結果。隨著社會結構和生活方式的變化，這一群體不僅規模持續擴大，其情感行為模式也呈現出更為極端與多元的發展，成為當代日本社會中引人關注的文化與社會現象。

In Japan, the phenomenon of “herbivore men” (sōshoku-kei danshi) has long attracted social attention and continues to rise. Originally, the term referred to men who are gentle, low-key, and not proactive in pursuing romantic relationships. By 2025, however, this group has become more extreme, with some evolving into the so-called “abstinence type” (zesshoku-kei), who completely avoid romantic pursuits and maintain a high degree of emotional detachment from the opposite sex. This trend results from a complex interplay of social, economic, and cultural factors.

Firstly, economic burdens and stagnant wages are major drivers of the herbivore male phenomenon. Traditionally, men are expected to bear a significant portion of dating costs, including expenses for outings, transportation, and gifts for holidays or special occasions. For many young men with modest incomes, such financial demands create significant pressure, leading to hesitation or withdrawal from romantic pursuits. Studies also indicate that men with lower incomes tend to have fewer sexual experiences or a lower desire for romantic engagement, largely due to a lack of economic confidence to establish a family or take on relational responsibilities.

Secondly, workplace culture and overwork further suppress men’s willingness to pursue relationships. Japan’s long-standing culture of overtime work results in many young men expending vast amounts of energy on their jobs, leaving them physically and mentally exhausted, with little capacity to engage in complex emotional relationships. Faced with a highly competitive society, some men adopt a “lying flat” mentality, abandoning ambition in both career and romance in favor of a more comfortable, low-stress lifestyle.

Thirdly, technological development and diverse entertainment options reduce the perceived necessity of romantic relationships. Mobile games, streaming platforms, and live-streaming services offer instant gratification and psychological satisfaction, often more accessible and less demanding than real-life romantic interactions. Virtual companionship, such as online communities or virtual idols, provides low-cost emotional engagement, further diminishing the urgency to seek real-world partners.

Fourthly, shifting gender roles and values play a significant role. Many herbivore men are introverted and gentle, and they may fear rejection, conflict, or the “burden of responsibility” that can accompany romantic pursuit, leading them to remain passive. A notable portion also exhibits a “good-boy syndrome,” characterized by conformity and a lack of proactive traits. Emerging low-commitment, low-responsibility relationship forms, such as “sleep friends” (partners who only sleep together without emotional entanglement), reflect a broader trend of pursuing “light relationships,” which further reduces interest in traditional romance.

By 2025, data shows the phenomenon is widespread. Surveys indicate that over 40% of twenty-year-old men have never been on a date, and among thirty-year-old men, one in four adheres to a non-marriage ideology. The terminology itself has evolved over time: from the original “herbivore men” to “third-wave men,” who pursue minimalist lifestyles, and finally to “abstinence-type” men, who are almost entirely indifferent to romance. This evolution reflects a growing emotional detachment and passivity among young Japanese men.

In summary, Japan’s herbivore male phenomenon results from the combined effects of economic pressure, workplace culture, technological and entertainment alternatives, and changing gender values. As social structures and lifestyles continue to evolve, this group not only grows in size but also displays increasingly diverse and extreme patterns of emotional behavior, making it a prominent cultural and social phenomenon in contemporary Japanese society.