Men’s lack of deep, close friendships has been in the spotlight lately. A recent Pew Research Center study found that 54% of women say they turn to a friend for emotional support, but only 38% of men say they do. Essayist Sam Graham-Felsen and American Institute for Boys and Men CEO Richard Reeves join John Yang to discuss why some men seem to struggle with maintaining social connections.
The weirdest thing is all that needs to happen is for men to talk about their feelings, doesn’t even have to be another man.
That’s it.
But so many men just won’t fucking do it.
So it’s literally one of the only problems that can actually be solved by raising awareness.
I sometimes question whether the “men don’t talk about their feelings” stereotype even holds true for the current generation of men. I surely can, and so do the few male friends I have. I mean, I guess it’s still broadly speaking true, but my anecdotal experience just doesn’t seem to reflect that too much. Speaking about my feelings has never been an issue for me personally. I even talk about them to people I probably shouldn’t.
How you doing? I have been better!