It's been described as a 'silent epidemic': the number of lonely men in the UK and US is on the rise, and so are male suicides. Calvin Holbrook asks if the two could be linked and examines the causes – and possible solutions – of increasing loneliness in male populations.

 

I can still remember grinning ear-to-ear after receiving the keys to my first apartment that was going to be all mine. After years of dodgy flatshares, I’d finally achieved the holy grail of London living: my own home (albeit rented, of course). No more arguments about washing up or cleaning. No more walking into the kitchen in the morning and finding randoms munching on my Cornflakes. The chance to now walk around starkers. Bliss.


However, after some months, my initial feelings of happiness started to fade. Feeling increasingly isolated from friends that lived far away, I was spending more time indoors alone. When winter came around, things only got worse and my loneliness deepened into a depression. What was meant to be an amazing new experience quickly soured. At the time, I was in my late 20s. Now, we all know the stereotype of lonely old spinsters –women living alone that go days without talking to anyone except their 27 cats – but I was a young (ish) male. Wasn’t it only old women – and not men – that got lonely?


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Well, as recent research shows, the answer to this questions is a resounding 'no'. Increasingly, it's men – of all different age groups – that are feeling the pains of loneliness and solitude. This increase appears at the same time as a sharp rise in male suicides, so could the two be linked? 

 

Loneliness in men: the recent statistics 

According to a recent YouGov poll in the UK, almost one in five men (18 per cent) owned up to not having a single close friend. Furthermore, one in three (32 per cent) stated that they didn’t have a best friend. For women, these figures were lower at 12 and 24 per cent respectively, suggesting that, on average, men in the UK are leading more solitary lives compared to women.

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On the edge: loneliness – and suicide – among men is on the increase shutterstock/FotoDuets



However, the survey also suggests that while men appear to be lonelier than women, in reality they’re less likely to own up to feeling lonely. Because although the poll showed that 44 per cent of UK men admitted to being lonely ‘sometimes, often or all of the time’, the figure for women was actually higher (50 per cent). 


This idea that men don’t want to admit to any feelings of male loneliness was backed up by a 2017 by the Jo Cox commission on loneliness. It surveyed 1,200 men and 10 per cent said they would not admit to feeling lonely, preferring to keep it hidden. So, why are there so many lonely men in the UK and other parts of the developed world. What are the driving forces behind the phenomenon of male loneliness? 

 

1. Not discussing feelings

These studies suggest that many men prefer not to open up about their loneliness, so it’s not surprising that loneliness among British men has been described by some as the “silent epidemic”. Indeed, a lot of us men the world over would rather talk about anything else other than what’s going on inside us in terms of feelings and emotions! And that’s partly because doing so means opening up and showing real vulnerability.


RELATED: 11 things to do if you're feeling lonely


Many men growing up are taught not to express our vulnerability as we're shown by society and the media that it’s something weak. We’ve been told to keep a stiff upper lip, to ‘keep calm and carry on’; men should not express their feelings. But, actually, showing vulnerability to someone else is one key factor in which real, close friendships can be forged, and loneliness beaten. 

 

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A 2012 study entitled 'Men and Suicide: Why it's a social issue’ from the UK charity Samaritans found that even today men still compare themselves against a ‘gold standard’ that values control, power, and invincibility: all  these things go against men being vulnerable and speaking out about your emotions and mental health issues. This reason for male loneliness is closely linked to a second factor. 

 

2. Society, stigma and toxic masculinity

As well as being taught to be tough, from early childhood many of us men are also conditioned to be assertive and ‘manly'. Not only by our fathers (and sometimes mothers), but by society at large and advertising. Indeed, entire marketing and advertising campaigns are created around what it means to be a man and shoved in our faces.


The Samaritans study also found that during childhood men in the UK are taught that being ‘manly’ doesn’t emphasize social and emotional skills. Furthermore, they suggested that it's clearly linked to men taking their own lives. The study states: “Masculinity – the way men are brought up to behave and the roles, attributes and behaviours that society expects of them – contributes to suicide in men.”

 

“Many men prefer not to open up about their loneliness, so it's not surprising that loneliness among British men has been described as a 'silent epidemic'.”


Meanwhile, in the US, similar things are afoot. Psychology professor and author Niobe Way has researched teenage boys and their closest friendships. Her work shows that boys in early adolescence express a deeply fulfilling emotional connection for each other. However, by the time they're adults, that sense of connection has disappeared.


Why? Way suggests that this ‘natural’ distancing is, in fact, artificial – a result of toxic judgments leveled against boys and young teenage men by their society and environment. Speaking to Mark Greene for Upworthy, Way explained: “Boys know by late adolescence that their close male friendships, and even their emotional acuity, put them at risk of being labeled girly, immature, or gay. Thus, rather than focusing on who they are, they become obsessed with who they are not  —  they are not girls, little boys nor, in the case of heterosexual boys, are they gay.”

 

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The result? “These boys mature into men who are autonomous, emotionally stoic, and isolated,” says Way. Three strong factors for male loneliness. And even though many of these men are now in relationships with families, it can be argued that they're experiencing a real sense of loss from losing their previous male friendships. 

 

3. Fewer bonding opportunities

Research suggests that men bond more during shared, intense experiences, for example, group sporting activities or serving in the military. Women, on the other hand, find making friendships easier and see more options, forging pals with other parents they meet through children’s schools, clubs or sports teams. According to the YouGov poll, 71 per cent of women found friends this way but only 49 per cent of men did. 


RELATED: How to make new friends as an adult


Speaking to The Times, Robin Hewings, the director of research at the Campaign to End Loneliness, backed up this difference between male and female loneliness figures in the 2019 YouGov survey: “Women are more likely to have wider social networks than men across their lifetime and spend more time cultivating their existing friendships and meeting new people. For a lot of men, friendships formed in the workplace are key, which can lead to loneliness and isolation in retirement.”

 

4. Retirement and living alone

Indeed, retirement plays an important part. If those male work relationships are not continued after retirement, it can lead to isolation and loneliness. Figures from the Jo Cox Commission state that over a quarter of men aged 65-69 in the UK said that retiring had made them feel lonely.


And as my own personal of living alone shows, it's not always what it's cracked up to be. In reality, for some men living alone, it can be isolating, with them having less regular contact with family and friends. The number of middle-aged people living alone in the UK has jumped by about a half over the past two decades, figures show. For men, the ages of 45 to 64 were the most common with approximately 1.3 million men residing solo. 

 

5. Marriage

You’d expect married men to be less lonely and unsupported, but a 2015 YouGov survey for Movember actually showed that UK married men have some of the lowest levels of support outside of their homes. In fact, they were found to be over 30 per cent more likely than their single counterparts to claim they have no one to turn to.

lonely-men-male-loneliness.jpg
Solo shame: men typically have fewer bonding opportunities than women shutterstock/Prostock-studio


Importantly, married men are also more than twice as likely as men who cohabit with a partner yet remain unmarried to say the same. This suggests that its marriage itself, rather than being in a long-term relationship, that cuts existing male friendship ties. 


Sarah Coghlan, country director for Movember UK, told The Telegraph: “Men are expected to spend time with their wives, and that’s normal and natural and very healthy, but at the cost perhaps of friendships that they need to invest in.”

 

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Male loneliness and suicide

Aside from these major causes of male loneliness, some other factors include moving away from friends and family, going through a breakup, unemployment, and the death of a family member. Just like me, you've probably experience loneliness to some degree. But while being lonely is something we all go through now and again, if chronic loneliness develops, it can be dangerous – or even fatal: a 2015 study showed that lacking social connections is as bad for our health as smoking 15 cigarettes each day (Holt-Lunstad).


According to the Jo Cox commission study, around 35 per cent of men said being lonely made them feel depressed. And if men are battling depression or anxiety as well on top of loneliness, then it’s pretty hard to ‘keep calm and carry on’: eventually something has to break, and that's what we're seeing with a rise in mental health issues in men. 


RELATED: 8 powerful suicide prevention quotes


In 2018 the UK suicide rate rose to its highest level since 2002 – over 6,500 people took their own life (11.2 per 100,000 people) – a figure up 12 per cent on the previous year. And of those registered suicides, a staggering 75 per cent were men. Likewise, in the US, suicide as a whole is the highest it has been in decades and as of 2017, the male suicide rate was over three times that of the female rate. So, it’s clear that men are disproportionately taking their own lives, with loneliness playing a big part. 

 

Combating male loneliness 

To fight off male loneliness, it’s vital that all men – regardless of sexuality and relationship status – take their friendships seriously and continually invest in them. Men are traditionally more likely to develop friendships with someone they have met at a bar or pub or through sports clubs, but there are plenty of other ways to meet other men and women and combat male loneliness.


Some ideas for ways lonely men to make new friends include:
 

  • Joining a gym and trying a new fitness course, signing up to do a marathon, or joining a walking or hiking group (the latter is great as you have to talk while walking, plus you get the benefits of being in nature). 
     
  • Get a dog and strike up conversations with other owners while out. 
     
  • Get to know neighbours by joining a local community group.
     
  • Use social media to re-connect with old friends, then try to meet in a real-world setting. 
     
  • Doing voluntary work. As well as meeting new people to combat loneliness, there are plenty of other benefits to volunteering, such as boosting self-esteem.

 

Indeed, within the UK, there have been some great initiatives set up to reduce the number of lonely men and to make their worlds brighter. These case studies can be examined to see what works best.


In Leeds, the Time to Shine program aims to reduce the loneliness of the city’s older population. It was found that ensuring men feel they have something practical to offer is important in them getting involved – this worked well when mean were encouraged to volunteer in a charity shop.

 

“To fight off male loneliness, it's vital that all men take their friendships seriously and continually invest in them.”


Other activities that appeal to older men include those which provide the chance to teach skills to others, such as DIY or gardening or DIY. These have helped lonely men to generate a sense of purpose and help build their self-esteem.


Working together: the Men in Sheds scheme helps lonely men in the UK YouTube/Spool


Elsewhere, the UK Men’s Sheds Association helps men to reduce loneliness by enabling them to connect and enjoy skills and activities together. And, yep, as the name suggests, it’s done in that traditional older male habitat – the garden shed. Over 500 sheds are in operation throughout the UK with over 100 more in development. And while many of the men involved are of retirement, the project attracts younger lonely me also. 

 

A cut above

Another success aimed at the younger generation of depressed and lonely men in the UK is the Lion’s Barber Collective. Founded in 2015 by barber Tom Chapman, the aim is to turn barber’s shops into safe spaces of discussion for men. Chapman gives profession training courses in person and via video helping barbers to feel comfortable about discussing mental health with their clients.


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The intimacy of getting a haircut is used as a  starting point for conversations around depression, anxiety, etc. What’s more, as it’s a regular and frequent event, the Collective hopes that clients can be a rapport and friendship with their barbers. As Chapman explained to Quartz magazine: “Being in the chair, having that conversation,  one-to-one contact, human contact, that doesn’t happen very often.”

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Group gains: activities such as hiking can fight off male loneliness shutterstock/illpaxphotomatic

 

“We [barbers] listen on average 2,000 hours a year. If we can help train barbers to recognize the signs, ask the right questions, listen with empathy and without judgement and help them help their clients find the resources that are available, we can help save lives,” Chapman said. His initiative, which started in Devon, has won plaudits and has now spread internationally to New York City and Australia. 

 

Readdressing toxic masculinity

Initiatives like these are making great strides to make positive changes in male loneliness and mental health. And it seems some companies and advertisers are starting to take note that they also play an important role in influencing men’s mental health and loneliness.


Continuing the men’s grooming theme, shaving company Gillette recently changed their 30-year-old tagline from ‘the best a man can get’ to ‘the best men can be’ to fight back against toxic masculinity. The company said the new tagline and advertisement was part of a broader initiative for Gilette to promote “positive, attainable, inclusive and healthy versions of what it means to be a man.


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Of course, it will take a lot more than this to reverse the worrying trend of male loneliness and suicide. But with a growing awareness and discussion of male mental health and successful initiatives like Men's Sheds Association and Lion's Barber Collective expanding throughout the UK and beyond, hopefully soon there won't be so many lonely men struggling to cope with their isolation.


Indeed, as stigma around male loneliness continues to be broken down, men should be able to become more vulnerable and feel comfortable opening up about the issues affecting them. 

 

Are you struggling with mental health issues or loneliness? In the UK and Ireland, the Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or [email protected] or [email protected]. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. For other international helplines, visit www.befrienders.org.
Main image: shutterstock/Robsonphoto

 

 

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Written by Calvin Holbrook

calvin.holbrook.jpegCalvin edits the happiness.com magazine, as well being an artist and travel lover. He also loves hiking, nature, swimming, yoga, sweaty dancing, and all things vintage!

 

 

 


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45****

Posted

I love how all articles about the crises of men turn toward attacking masculinity. 

Double standards are what have gotten men depressed, and it's double standards that have them giving up on society.

When a women is depressed, no one attacks them. No one goes at them and says they are toxic. 

Men are in short, being blamed for their own depression. It is a horrible, MISANDRIST world out there. Heck, most people won't even agree that "misandry" is even a thing, but it's rampant, especially in the media. 

 

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a8****

Posted

I’ve seen a bunch of excellent, true points down below so I guess I will add my true sense. All I’ve ever wanted since age 12 was to be what I thought was a “good” man, I didn’t want to be rich, famous, a “ladies” man. I just simply wanted to find a girl that “loved me for who I was” (supposedly that’s what women want too, I’ve seen no evidence of it) get married, have children and at least have a shot at a simple “American” dream. I did everything they told me I should be, treat women with respect (open doors, pay for dates, etc), “be myself” and women “like” a nice guy who’s in touch with his feelings….etc. Now I’m 35, struggle to find and hold down a job (despite graduating college with flying colors) and I can’t even pay a women to spit on me much less any other form of acknowledgment. It’s gotten to the point that I would sell my soul if a woman would just simply smile at me, she doesn’t even have to talk to me…I’d do anything…. Hell, I don’t even care about sex anymore… I just want some form of kindness from the opposite sex. Time and again I see beautiful, brilliant women who deserve the work keep dating horrible human beings just because they have money or a nice car or look like Brad Pitt (all things most woman say they care about mind you) and it kills my spirit inside. This was all before the “better” modern day of course; now I also have to contend with the “go girl power” movement that teaches women they don’t need to date or marry to have a fulfilling life combined with the it’s “evil” to be a straight person movement and the if a guy looks in your direction without getting your legal consent in triple its rape movement and it’s impossible. It’s a wonder how all these “experts” are baffled why so many men are killing themselves or losing their minds and doing unspeakable things. Of course why listen to me when the popular thing in society nowadays is to call me and others who are I. Such pain such hurtful things as “incel”, “bigot”, and “boomer”. I don’t hate anyone, I just want to be loved…I thought that’s what most other people wanted too….

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6d****

Posted

Guess what, douchebros, if you're evil and angry, it's no surprise that women stay the hell away from you.  We work on instinct and we know when you suck right away.  The unluckier of us may be fooled for a while but eventually your generalized and intense hatred for women (displayed here) surfaces.  It's inevitable.

 

 

No woman wants/needs some furious man full of hate for women in her home/life/bed.  You ooze the stench of aggression, and women are tired of being murdered.  If you hate us, you certainly don't deserve us. 

 

Go to Man Island and be with your boys, I'm sure you can work something out that benefits you both. 13tmag-tomoffinland-slide-JX3U-mobileMas

 

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0a****

Posted

>Toxic masculinity

Literally, every single person says this but completely omits the other buzzword that comes with a shit ton of stigma. As if we're given a hard time by other men by showing weakness and not by women themselves. Men will never admit to feeling lonely because we are afraid of being seen as "loser incels", that really can cripple any opportunity we may get to build meaningful companionships, let alone romantic relationships. How about we break that down so men will more readily seek help rather than some imagined patriarchal structure?

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c7****

Posted

LET ME TRANSLATE ALL THAT TO YOU!

-record high number of childless women (post child bearing age)

-record high of never married women

-record high of number single mothers

-record high number of sexual partners women had

-record high number of women on anti-depressants

-record high number of women in the work force

 

Modern society doesn't care about men, only female related problems matter! Why society cares about male loneliness now??? Its because: that's a strategy to shame men for above issues. Its a smokescreen. Modern women are taught selfish, entitled behaviour and it backfires. Data from the dating apps confirm hipergamy. Average man is not good enough for modern woman. 

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e5****

Posted

Sharing your life with a loved one makes more sense though

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72****

Posted

Since most women are real toxic nowadays unfortunately which it makes it very difficult for many of us single guys trying to find love today, and many of aren't single by choice either.

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Pa****

Posted

Quite a few people suffer from loneliness and it is detrimental to them. I would never want to be a lonely person, as I need communication all the time. Without communication a person dies.

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cf****

Posted

Toxic masculinity is a load of bollux, no body has been taught that way of thinking since the late 1970's. Boys have almost no male role models, over 80% of all teachers to the university level are women and many of them come from single mother  homes. The media is none stop Male bashing, so just where are they getting anys sort of macho indoctrination? 

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3c****

Posted

Speaking as someone in this section of society - 40yo, single, fairly isolated work from home, best friend [that I rarely saw due to his family] recently died.. 

 

In my opinion, there is an enormous missing angle to this debate that is essentially never discussed because there is no answer to it: sex - or lack of sex.

 

No, not an incel. Women are great, I have loads of female online "friends." I prefer bonding with women. But it's all platonic for every imaginable reason.

 

It is the crucial lack of the things sex offers a man that is the element of loneliness that regularly drags my life down (and I assume many others). Here are some elements of it:

 

- biological "need" (a man's body reminds him regularly that "he must procreate") 

- emotional need

- physical contact

- feelings of love in both directions, giving and receiving

- the sense of a ticking clock (over time, chances of fulfilling (or any) sex is like a slowly closing door

- tension relief, without it a sense of feelings from emptiness to anger

- ego element of sex, feeling a sense of not being a total cast off / nobody

- almost constant, consistent rejection in search of practically anything (dates, casual, meaningful, anything)

 

In my humble opinion, if sex wasn't wired into men, I think most would be fairly happy living isolated lives. Most men like space, right. But it's the biological messaging of sexual need that regularly drags a man back into a void of both need and then total unfulfilment.

 

No, 99.9% of men don't then become misogynistic, violent or anything remotely like that. But something very real is happening in the minds of unfulfilled men.

 

What can be done about it? Clearly, it's not the duty of women to service this need or help men out. What I will say is that more and more women seem disinterested or afraid of sexual encounters. I can sense that simply from online dating. Women make their own choices (either good or bad..), but men, indirectly, do have to live with those choices.

 

Society is becoming increasingly sexualised. Just spend 5 minutes on Instagram to figure this out. Sexual liberation is fine, it's a good thing. But it will contribute to feelings of male unfulfilment and ultimately sadness, depression, pressure, and potentially anger at its worst.

 

The feeling of a world that is "right there" that men want to access (and enjoy) but can't is physically, emotionally and spiritually difficult to deal with on a daily basis.

 

Men are fairly simple beings. But seemingly, this simple problem has very few simple answers.

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4a****

Posted

Because women abandoned us, we fought wars to protect them, built civilisation to keep them safe , we died in the mines and the fields to provide for them but It wasn’t  enough. Now we die of loneliness and depression and we’re still wrong. 

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99****

Posted

At some point, we (as in men and women() need to all come together and raise each other up and stop putting each other down. We are powerful in large numbers and can bring so much good. Be the change. Talk to someone if you're depressed. Find some kind of meaning in life, even if it's gardening, and focus on it. meditate on it. I promise you will find answers underneath the layers of whatever it is you dedicate your life too. It will point you in the right direction. Just focus, listen, prepare for the bad days so you can ride the storm, and never falter. It's ok to rest sometimes. But don't give up. 

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d4****

Posted

This article mentions that

Married man are the most unsupported. 30% most unsupported than a single man. Let that sink in.

 

Yet expected to be the supporters of the family (not by the society but by their own families).

 

No wonder they want to suicide...

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6a****

Posted

What about toxic feminism who pushes you to 'not have momy issues', pushes you to 'own it' (which is what we regards as toxic masculinity),

attacks masculinity by mistaking it to machism. Masculinity that men need to truly feel connected valuable and valued.

And creates waves of self entitled narcissistic people that 'attack' random people because they feel attacked (as if that's a justification), and when a men tries to talk about his own struggle he gets shut down because 'women have it worse'.

My life have been destroyed by narcissistic toxic feminists more than any other man or patriarch structure or societal stigma.

The fact that is not even mentioned here shows how unconscious this runs in us.

Is great that women acquire a life they deserve, but when seen as a fight, you'll find enemies.

When men could be helping their goals instead, he's seen as a mortal enemy that needs to be punished.

And so most of them live in a constant unconscious feeling of guilt and shame.

 

Is completely shameful to say i am a man nowadays, God forbid youre proud of it.

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64****

Posted

Society: Men need to open up more and tell us what’s wrong.

 

Men: Well, I’m lonely and want a good woman in my life.

 

Society: Oh you’re an incel, man up and make yourself better. 
 

Men: We’ve been constantly improving ourselves. It’s a lot and we are still frustrated.

 

Society: Men open up and tell us why.

 

wash, rinse, repeat. 

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97****

Posted

Ever thought of looking at women's behaviour towards men from time to time ?

Jesus... It's always men's fault whatever they do... The main cause of suicide for men is women themselves. Women who after divorce steal everything from them. Kids, money, house... Everything.

The matter of "not opening up" every time you open up, women shut you down. You're not attractive anymore, they're turned off and the men get left alone.

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17****

Posted

It is difficult to summon a lot of sympathy here. Male behavior is often so absolutely atrocious that it can be impossible to befriend them. This seems especially true of the heterosexual variety, which is to say, most of them.

 

So much of what makes up a heterosexual male is so performative and artificial and crass and exploitive and  violent and oppressive and on and on and on. All to impress other males.

 

Why is there no discussion about  becoming better people as a solution to ANY of their problems? Because they've never been required to be better.

 

Women have been forced to alter their lives due to the bad behavior of heterosexual men. LGBT people have been forced to alter their lives due to the bad behavior of heterosexual men. So very many groups have been forced to alter their lives due to the bad behavior of heterosexual men.

 

What did heterosexual men believe would be the end result of their aggression and violence?

 

I would suggest to them that perhaps, like the rest of us have done for centuries, it is time for THEM to alter THEIR lives if they wish to be a part of ours.

 

 

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65****

Posted

wow use social media?????????????

using social media causes loneliness and depression full stop. 

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16****

Posted

He literally said everything I wanted to say:-

 

"Men have learned to keep their emotions bottled up because every time we let them out we find that it either pushes people away, or allows more malicious individuals to take advantage of us. We weren't taught this by our fathers to make us conform to some evil form of societal control, we taught ourselves, from experience."

 

The author of the article is the problem, not the solution. 

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f2****

Posted

Stop blaming "toxic masculinity" for every problem affecting men. Just stop it. It is just a roundabout way of blaming men for their own loneliness. It’s getting tiresome.

 

The reason men are lonely is because no one cares about them, it has got nothing to do with "toxic masculinity". The vast majority of people (especially women) just aren’t interested in listening to a man who wants to talk about his problems. They dismiss him as “whiny”, “unpleasant” and yes “weak”. Men have learned to keep their emotions bottled up because every time we let them out we find that it either pushes people away, or allows more malicious individuals to take advantage of us. We weren't taught this by our fathers to make us conform to some evil form of societal control, we taught ourselves, from experience.

It is always a tragedy when a depressed woman commits suicide, but when a man does it, he’s just a statistic. No one cares. Men are expendable and always will be.

 

And as for your ideas for how lonely men can make new friends: did you just Google "How to make friends" and then just copy and paste the first result you found? How exactly is any of that supposed to help a man, who has not had a close relationship with another human being for more than ten years, and is now seriously considering suicide because he is so emotionally broken inside that he is looking at the very real possibility of being completely alone for the rest of his life. "Just join a club bro" Amazing, thanks, now I feel better. 

 

I read this entire article, twice. And I can now confidently say that you have no idea what you are talking about. You have never felt the kind of loneliness that could drive a man to seriously consider ending his own life. So I suggest you keep your mouth shut in future and stop pandering to the woke crowd with this "toxic masculinity" bullshit. 

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mr****

Posted

On 12/29/2020 at 2:44 PM, Guest Guest said:

Not having a good wife and family to share our life with makes it much worse altogether as well for us men unfortunately.

really

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mr****

Posted

On 4/4/2021 at 9:48 PM, Guest devistated said:

I am in a terrible situation. I am girly boy and I don't know what to do. SUICIDE!!! No. I am not there. But I am crying out for help. I need someone. YES! A silent epidemic. 

Please do not commit suicide.That is not an option.You can overcome.A problem shared is half solved,We can talk privately so i can advice you on how to overcome it.

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66****

Posted

I am in a terrible situation. I am girly boy and I don't know what to do. SUICIDE!!! No. I am not there. But I am crying out for help. I need someone. YES! A silent epidemic. 

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67****

Posted

Unfortunately most women today as i can see were very abused by men in the past, especially the way they act with many of us men today.  Very horrible childhood that most of these women had too when they were growing up, and now the great majority of these very troubled women just hate us men altogether and are just taking their problems out on many of us good innocent men out there for no reason at all.  Very psycho and extremely dangerous women everywhere nowadays unfortunately.  Now i know why they have a lot of these women play the craziest movie rolls on TV since they fit right in.  With all the tattoos they have all over their bodies today, which makes these women very disgusting altogether as well.  Then again, most of these women will just grow very old all alone with a bunch of their cats when their time comes.

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37****

Posted

Being a man is so hard, women will tell you not to tell them what it's like to be a woman while they do the same to men all the time in the media and in person, being above average is not enough you have to be a super model (even though these girls don't even look naturally they need makeup, filters and good angles to do so) and you are literally judged for everything. When a woman finishes college she's a hero but if a man finishes college it's just "what everyone expected", if u don't make college as a man ur a loser but if u don't make collage as a woman "at least u tried". Because women are sad victims in every situation, so stuff that information in the ears because it's the truth and never, never ever ever will feminism ever give one single horse sh*t about men. Have a nice life being a walking ATM for some worthless woman

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50****

Posted

Just too many very high maintenance women these days that are also very selfish, greedy, spoiled, independent, and don't want a man anyway, gold diggers, narcissists, picky, cheaters, and really can't commit to only one man at all, and very very money hungry as well.  Especially the ones that are real gold diggers and sleep around with men that have a lot of money.  Most women in the old days were nothing like these very pathetic women are today.  Very obvious why our family members had no trouble finding love in the old days.  Sure they had no trouble, most women were the very complete opposite of today, and real ladies as well.

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ab****

Posted

It would also be worth mentioning the ridiculous standards that women set when selecting a companion. Average is no longer good enough and it seems men are punished for not belonging to the top 20 percent. It’s no surprise there are so many lonely men out there not to mention western laws which advocate the financial and emotional ruin of those who are separated. 
A dog would indeed be nice but not at all possible for those stuck in single rented accommodation where such things are likely prohibited.

Society treats men like garbage so it should be no shock that a large proportion of us turn to substance abuse to ease the pain which further hinders our ability to foster intimate loving relationships. 

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76****

Posted

Appreciate the article on male loneliness and depression. Found the examples moving and made me feel less “lonely”.

 In these days of COVID it has just made loneliness so much more difficult to deal with. 

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50****

Posted

Not having a good wife and family to share our life with makes it much worse altogether as well for us men unfortunately.

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