Episode 133 - 

The trends in survey data on friendship are indicating steep declines in recent decades - in both friendship quality and quantity. That trend, it's popularly believed, has most especially affected men.  One 2021 survey found that men with at least six "close friends" has dropped from 55 percent to 27 percent since1990!  How can that be in a society that purports to be so "social" and "connected"?  Oh, the irony!

Chad's parades as the Grand Poohbah in this secret man club of an episode, while Ben gets a co-host's initiation, coughing through the club's cloud of cigar smoke as he tries to perfect the Manhood Restored secret handshake. The two friends puzzle over the recent friendship trends and reflect on the value of friendship.  What could be the contributing factors to such sharp declines in friendship among men?  How important are friendships to men, especially given the time and energy required to maintain them?  And how have Ben and Chad fared personally with making and maintaining friendships into their adult lives?

SHOW NOTES:

• Friendship survey data from 2021:
  •  The State of American Friendship: Change, Challenges, and Loss - The Survey Center on American Life (americansurveycenter.org)
  • American Men Suffer a Friendship Recession - The Survey Center on American Life (americansurveycenter.org)