![Male Friendship Equation](jpg/malefriendship-header-v4-1800549d.jpg?fit=1200%2C461)
Friends are essential to a well-lived life. A recent survey found that Americans value close friends more than having children or even getting married. Yet the U.S. is experiencing an “epidemic of loneliness,” as declared by the surgeon general, with men finding themselves particularly adrift. How did we get here, to a place where 15% of men say they have no close friends? And more importantly, how do we solve it? In our series The Male Friendship Equation, we’re looking at the phenomenon from all angles: friends that defy the odds, advice for those without a group chat to their name, and stories that explore the peculiarities of these all-important platonic relationships.
There’s no simple solution, but we need to start the conversation. Pull up a chair.
![An illustration of a group of men. We look at the state of male friendships and what some are calling the "male friendship recession."](jpg/male-friendship-story1-v3a50ce.jpg?w=1500&resize=1500%2C1000)
The Male Friendship Equation: Meeting a Loneliness Crisis Head-On
![Two guy friends, one sitting playing guitar and the other on piano. Here's the friendship advice from my dad and his bandmate of nearly 50 years.](jpg/male-friendship-story4-oldfriends-clr_9a14c650ce.jpg?w=1500&resize=1500%2C1000)
Friendship Advice From My Dad and His Best Pal of 50 Years
![An illustration of a man spinning a wheel with six different types of masculinity, including alpha male, feminist and white knight.](jpg/male-friendship-story7-malemasculinity-clr_0e239650ce.jpg?w=1500&resize=1500%2C1000)
Good Luck Deciphering the “Very Mixed Messages” of Masculinity
![](jpg/male-friendship-story10-friendsondatingapps-clr50ce.jpg?w=1500&resize=1500%2C1000)
Do Friendship Apps Work? One Man Swiped to Find Out.
![Chuck and Buck](jpg/male-friendship-story13-chuckbuck-clr-17a58.jpg?w=6250&resize=6250%2C4167)
Why “Chuck and Buck” Is the Most Underrated Movie About Male Friendship
![An illustration of Boston Bruins goalies Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark doing their trademark post-game hug](jpg/male-friendship-story16-bruinsgoaliehug-clr_40b6587a58.jpg?w=6250&resize=6250%2C4167)
The Man Hug That Could Go Down in Hockey History
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