The share of men who say they have no friends has tripled since the 1990s. The share of men who say they have six or more close friends has declined by about 60%. (There are similar but less dramatic declines for women.)

Guys, we have a problem.

Men are worse than women at making friends in adulthood, and even more, they’re worse snd maintaining and growing friendships in adulthood.

I asked Yale professor Laurie Santos if she agreed with this (she does, very much) and why it’s real.

One of her explanations that really hits me is that woman are better, or more comfortable, at face-to-face interactions that don’t require the excuse of an activity around which to organize their socializing. Many men seem to prefer “shoulder-to-shoulder” hangouts organized around a secondary activity (let’s go golfing, play video games, watch a basketball game at the bar). As a result men raise the bar of socializing too high and deprive themselves of friends, joy, and social fitness.