Loneliness Hits Men Harder

Did you know that “One in five American men who are unmarried and not in a romantic relationship report not having any close friends”?

I have already talked a lot about loneliness and men on my blog and podcast, but dive in even deeper in this episode of the Dear Men Podcast with host Melanie Curtin.

From the episode description:

Ever have trouble concentrating, or beat yourself up for not getting more done? Do you give yourself a hard time for watching porn & masturbating? Wonder why you just can’t kick that habit you know is unhealthy (smoking weed, playing video games, drinking alcohol, etc.)?

All of this is related to loneliness. Whether you live alone and work from home, are single and dating and longing for relationship, are divorced and missing what you used to have, or are in a relationship but often feel distant from your wife/partner … life can be lonely.

And according to the US Surgeon General, “Our epidemic of loneliness and isolation has been an underappreciated public health crisis that has harmed individual and societal health.”

We tend to think of feeling lonely as not that big a deal, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. According to Psychology Today, “[c]lose relationships with other people have more of an impact on our physical health and longevity than even our genes do.”

The other wrinkle here is that loneliness and social isolation tend to hit men harder. A full 15% of modern men report having no close friendships or relationships at all, and 44% of men 18 and up say they feel lonely all the time (that stat still blows my mind. I want to give everyone a hug).

So what do you do about it? How do you get more connected and start to feel more of a sense of belonging? Here, we delve into what it actually means to be lonely, as well as how to start to get more connection in your life on a regular basis. We share our personal experience of loneliness, as well as three concrete suggestions for how to get more connected.

We also talk about how meaningful connection is not just about being around other people; it’s about feeling safe to be your full, true, authentic self. To feel fully seen.

Because when we feel fully seen, we feel fully alive.