Men’s lack of deep, close friendships has been in the spotlight lately. A recent Pew Research Center study found that 54% of women say they turn to a friend for emotional support, but only 38% of men say they do. Essayist Sam Graham-Felsen and American Institute for Boys and Men CEO Richard Reeves join John Yang to discuss why some men seem to struggle with maintaining social connections.
How would my mate help me with the existential crisis? He can help me moving a sofa, lend me money, help to fill the tax return etc.
By being supportive. Emotional support is, in fact, support.
“being supportive” meaning what, exactly? Doing what?
Talking to you. Empathizing with your situation. Validating you and making you feel heard. Offering company and distraction.
Like… are you seriously asking, or are you just trolling? This is like human connection 101.
I am seriously asking as I cannot comprehend what any of my friends would be able to do.
“validating, emphatising” - these are just words. You only described one action (“talking to you”) but I cannot imagine I would want that.
If you were to say that he could take me out to have multiple beers and do something stupid to take my mind away than yeah, I can see that although I am still unsure if I would have wanted that. Apart from this… I don’t belive there is any action /task he could do to help.
Talking through a problem can help you solve it. Getting another perspective can help too. Even just knowing that someone else in the same situation would do the same thing you are doing can be validating and make you feel better. So the “doing” can just be listening and applying mental energy to your experiences.
Yup but I believe neither the article nor the person commenting before were referring to solvable (in the practical terms) problem.