shades fills you in

The Times raised the alarm: So many men have no friends! Blame masculinity. It limits men’s ability to put emotional labor into friendships

The Guardian agrees: Male friendships fall apart because men aren’t wired to put in the time to maintain their platonic relationships

The Economist: This is a really big problem in America -- people work longer hours, spend quality time with kids instead of adults, and marry later

And Psychology Today says friendless men could be putting their health at risk: Forming close connections with other people could have a bigger health impact than our genetics even

The wives and girlfriends of friendless men lose, too. They’re left to do *all* the emotional labor in the relationship -- Harper’s Magazine

But Men’s Health says to calm down. Some dudes just need a little bromance and they’ll be fine. Men aren’t necessarily more isolated than women, they just need a couple of tweaks

And Healthline goes even further. Some men probably don’t even want friends, and that’s fine!

Thinking you may be a friendless man? This NYT Op offers a friend-indicator for middle-aged men: Would any of your pals be willing to pick you up after a colonoscopy