It's no secret that many men struggle to maintain or even build strong friendships. Bucking the trend is essential — and easier if you do this.
Men get a lot of mixed messages about their friendships. Get too close to a pal, or react too enthusiastically about meeting another guy you click with, and people might joke you’re in a “bromance.” On the other hand, if you don’t have many close friends, and mainly confide in your wife, people might say you’re suffering from what’s been called a “friendship recession” among men – and as a result, you could be at risk for the negative health consequences that can stem from loneliness.
People with more friends are generally more satisfied with their lives, according to a recent Pew Research survey. Yet people of all genders have fewer close friends than they used to. In 1990, less than a third of people said they had three or fewer close friends, but in 2021, that figure grew to almost half, according to a survey by the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) Survey Center on American Life. Half of Americans currently don’t think they have enough friends...continue here.
-- by Virginia Pelley
