Why men struggle to make friends — and how experts say to change that
San Francisco Chronicle · Mark Kreidler ·
Solid social connections are associated with better health, but men face barriers to forming and keeping male friendships. Here are expert tips for strong ties.
When Jonathan Mandel attended his first gathering of the Men’s Circle at Ocean Beach nearly two decades ago, he hardly imagined that he was embarking on an Aristotelian path toward forging lasting friendships.
Rather, Mandel said recently, he was drawn to the organization’s reputation for creating a space in which men could speak openly with peers about their doubts, concerns, areas of their lives they wanted to improve — and then be held accountable for making positive changes in those areas.
“The Men’s Circle is not a social group,” said Mandel, 62, a software engineer and start-up co-founder who lives in Benicia. “But social interaction is a natural outgrowth of the work we do.”
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