Why are men so lonely?

Looking into the growing male loneliness epidemic.

What’s one thing you’ve never told your friends, but wish you could?

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We’ve never been more connected, and yet felt more apart.

Only 27% of US men report having six or more close friends, down from 55% in 1990.

We’re seemingly more isolated, lonely, and exhausted than ever. Close friendships often exist primarily in phones rather than physical meetups, even though we maintain dozens, maybe hundreds, of “friendships” through superficial social media followings.

Getting a thumbs up on one of our selfies from someone we knew fourteen years ago satisfies our short-term need for dopamine, but it doesn’t satisfy our true human, biological need for connection.

Because that’s what we’re dealing with here; a biological need. Humans are social creatures that rely on cooperation and community for survival, while hormones are released during social interactions. Chronic loneliness, on the other hand, has been linked with a number of health issues and even premature death. Dr Vivek Murthy, the former Surgeon General of the US, said that lack of social connections can even be as damaging as smoking fifteen cigarettes a day.”

And yet many, many men have been bullied, shamed or taught into avoiding strong, deep interpersonal connections with other men.

Why is this? And what can we do about it?