Male Friendship as Lost Art: New Books Explore Loneliness Crisis

A wave of recent books and articles examines the state of male friendship in America, framing it as a lost art amid a broader loneliness crisis. Andrew McCarthy's "Who Needs Friends" (Grand Central) recounts his cross-country road trip to reconnect with old pals after his son pointed out his lack of friends. Jeremy Gordon's novel "See Friendship" (Harper Perennial) satirizes parasocial relationships through a journalist's podcast project about a deceased high school friend. Tiffany Watt Smith's "Bad Friend" (Celadon) traces how friendship shifted from a male domain in Aristotle's time to a female-coded institution in the 19th century. The New Yorker review notes that Gallup polls show 25% of American men aged 15–34 experienced loneliness in 2023–2024, and only 27% of men reported six or more close friends in 2021, down from 55% in 1990. The article also cites TV shows like "DTF St. Louis" and the "Jackass" franchise as cultural touchpoints reflecting men's yearning for connection. The review critiques the genre's reliance on stock figures and monochrome emotional palette, while praising Gordon's novel for its nuanced realism. The piece concludes with a reflection on AI as a new kind of friend that never gets lonely.