IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - September 2021 - 57

scientist might be more inclined to conceal any symptoms
than to disclose difficulties with mental health.
Intelligent
Computer scientists are stereotypically perceived
as intelligent, geniuses, and logical, with similar
words connoting intelligence serving as the most
popular words when random people are asked to
describe a computer scientist.1 Typically, this intelligence
is assumed to reflect an aptitude for computer
programming and engineering.
A 2017 study in multidisciplinary journal Intelligence
reported that participants with a high intelligence
quotient (IQ) (relating high IQ to intelligence
in this context) had higher risk for psychological disorders
[17]. Inspired by the little-known difficulties
experienced by those with a high intellectual capacity,
the researchers reported that those who display
intelligence may also possess overexcitabilities that
predispose them to certain psychological disorders,
including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
(ADHD) and mood and anxiety disorders. Although
this study was not limited to computer scientists and
engineers, it serves as a precursor of how the perception
that computer scientists and engineers' intelligence
may afflict some psychological distress.
The expectation of being innately exceptional, particularly
when compounded by difficult courses, can
lead to a lack of belonging that raises doubt in one's
own abilities. In an article about the pressures that
undergraduate CS programs perpetuate, Julia Nguyen
claims that there is a " major problem with the education
system " when it comes to CS [18]. She attributes
part of the problem to the self-entitlement CS students
sustain in order to adhere to the " intelligent " stereotype,
as well as the culture of constant comparison
between peers regarding academic performance. She
stated that the need to constantly defend yourself in
the face of intellectual adversity led to great insecurities
and forced the belief that school took priority over
one's well-being. When stereotyping in CS forces students'
self-worth to be measured solely on academic
brilliance, it produces a suffocating atmosphere where
they can be left discouraged by any setback and lack
a sense of belonging among their peers.
Computer scientists also tend to view their work
as extremely logical and possibly devoid of feelings.
The maintenance of this belief can lead to a refusal to
1 https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/tk047gs4205
acknowledge one's feelings and, more direly, one's susceptibility
to suffering from symptoms of mental illness.
Physical appearance and masculinity
The final components of a stereotypical computer
scientist are the image of an unattractive, pale, thin
male wearing glasses and the masculine atmosphere
present within CS.
One stereotypical masculine trait is the resistance
to opening up and talking about feelings, and such
suppression of feelings has been shown to affect
one's ability to get support. This is especially relevant
in combination with the expectation that a
logical field such as CS does not necessarily require
empathy as a dominant skill. Ignoring emotions can
result in negative mental health outcomes such as
emotional stress, anxiety, and depression [19].
For the most part, however, the stereotypes of
an unattractive appearance and masculinity affect
females who may not identify with the image due
to traditional expectations of vanity and historic
patterns of sexual abuse and harassment by male
computer scientists. The presence of gender discrimination
in CS has been well documented to affect
the sense of belonging females feel in the field [20].
Coupled with the gender norm that females care
more about being physically attractive, and the traditionally
dominant nature of masculinity, it is likely
that the inability to fit into the stereotypical unattractive,
male image of a computer scientist creates a
sense of exclusion and vulnerability in females that
leads to their mental distress.
Concluding thoughts
Actionable items
Challenging existing computer scientist stereotypes
is the most effective way to reduce their likelihood
of causing mental health issues within CS.
This can be done by diversifying portrayals and
expectations of computer scientists and engineers:
providing role models that differ from the existing
stereotypes (e.g., featuring members of gender, sexual,
and racial minorities in leadership positions)
and structural changes (e.g., changes in recruiting
that do not opaquely assess for " culture fit " ) are
effective examples of such diversification.
In the educational realm, experts at conferences
like Special Interest Group on Computer Science
Education (SIGCSE) are dedicated to making
September 2021
57
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IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - September 2021

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