New masculine codes: health, discipline and faith in the era of Marcos Llorente

By Paula Cañas · Communications Consultant at GAD3

For years, talking about spirituality among young people sounded distant, almost alien. But something is changing. In Spain, this growth is slightly more pronounced among men. Although the most common profile of a young believer remains female, with an average age of 24, spirituality in Spain is growing above all among young men. It is a discreet but significant trend, coexisting with a more visible phenomenon: the cult of physical and mental well-being.

• A generational shift

Generation Z is drawing clear boundaries with the leisure and behavioural models of previous generations. In contrast to excess or disconnection, many young people today champion an orderly and healthy lifestyle: prioritising rest, training regularly, eating well, reducing alcohol consumption and paying closer attention to mental health. The data support this shift. According to the latest ESTUDES 2025 survey by the Ministry of Health, the consumption of tobacco, alcohol and cannabis among adolescents has fallen to historic lows. Only 4% smoke daily, and just over half report having consumed alcohol in the past month — the lowest levels since records began. This is not merely a “healthy living” trend. Beneath it lies a deeper change: self-care has become a way of asserting identity and regaining a sense of control in an environment perceived as uncertain.

 

 

• The boys’ club

The example of Marcos Llorente neatly symbolises this phenomenon. His public image centred on discipline, natural performance and holistic health has given rise to a kind of “boys’ club” that shares routines, supplements and a common narrative: a well-cared-for body, a clear mind and high energy levels. In this universe, the physical and the spiritual intertwine. The gym replaces the temple, meditation replaces prayer, and diet replaces sacrifice. At its core, everything responds to the same impulse: the search for order, purpose and transcendence amid contemporary chaos.

• Spirituality as a reaction to postmodernity

This turn towards spirituality  whether through the body, the mind or well-being can be read as a reaction against postmodernity. After decades of relativism, hyperconnectivity and digital noise, young people appear to be seeking a more stable truth, a way of anchoring themselves in something tangible. If everything changes too quickly, the body and health become the only certainties.

 

 

• New pressures, old logics

However, this movement also carries contradictions. Today, young men experience physical and aesthetic pressures that previously fell almost exclusively on women. The masculine ideal is being redefined, yet it remains demanding: strong, disciplined, healthy, always in control. The boundary between well-being and self-imposed pressure is becoming increasingly blurred. What begins as a search for balance can end up turning into an obsession with performance or perfection.

• Body, faith and purpose

At its core, this shift reveals a shared search: that of a generation trying to find meaning and belonging in an era marked by fragmentation. It is no longer so much about religion as it is about coherence. From institutional faith to personal faith. From dogma to habit. And perhaps here lies the paradox of our time: in a society that seemed to have moved beyond transcendence, spirituality returns disguised as discipline, health and purpose.