The Realities of Male Friendship in 2016

While we love a good scientific study, sometimes a simple narrative can help convey reality even better. And the truth is: it’s hard to make new friends. Real friends. The kind that you don’t just tolerate cause it’s good to get out of the house, but feel at home when you’re with them. And for men, making new male friends, especially after your mid-20s, is a seriously difficult endeavor.    

A recent episode of This American Life features a story that “conducts san experiment to find out: can two adults, both new in town, become friends, with the right help?” It explores everything from baseball stats to sea cucumbers to the fear of crying in front of a new potential male friend.

The piece starts at 16:50. Act Two: Why Can’t We Be Friends from 587: The Perils of Intimacy