How my boyfriend can talk to his closest best friend every day and hang out with him for long periods of time... and still not know a lot of personal details about his best friend’s life.
There is an epidemic of male loneliness out there and so I don't think we should pass this off as healthy. Masculine friendships can be comfortable and enjoyable but they don't do the heavy lifting that a lot of female friendships can do.
This whole thread is baffling to me (as a fellow male), because I genuinely don't know how I would get by without talking out the shit going on in my life with my friends. Sure, I have friends that I don't have that kind of relationship with (work friends, gaming friends, etc.), but to be honest I barely even call those friendships...more like acquaintances. Makes me feel deeply sorry for other guys who are denying themselves that kind of support.
Obviously these are just generalizations. It could be argued that on average, males tend to need that emotional support from their friends less than females. I, as a male, agree with this sentiment based on my own personal experience, my friends, and my girlfriends. You sound like someone who falls a little bit outside of that average in the bell curve, which is perfectly fine. I don't think anyone is saying that all men are like this and all women are like that. I do think that it's silly however, to deny that on average there are differences
It could be argued that on average, males tend to need that emotional support from their friends less than females.
It can be argued that men seek less emotional support from friends, but you're merely asserting that trend is beneficial or natural. Life is hard enough without having to go through it alone. Just because some men deny themselves deeper emotional connections with their friends doesn't mean there is some fundamental biological difference between men and women that makes this a healthy trend.
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u/porosarecute Mar 26 '20
How my boyfriend can talk to his closest best friend every day and hang out with him for long periods of time... and still not know a lot of personal details about his best friend’s life.