Is The 'Male Loneliness Epidemic' Real? | The Hook Up Podcast

The conversation around men feeling lonely has become a lightning rod for social, political and cultural weigh-ins by everyone - but how do guys actually feel about their loneliness? We asked you to cut through the noise to give your honest experiences of loneliness and male friendship, and we investigate the research to find out if this can even be called an ‘epidemic’. 00:00 – coming up 00:40 – intro 05:18 – what is an epidemic? 06:25 – research says men aren’t more lonely 07:56 – men are more socially isolated 09:40 – men don’t have as many close friends 11:00 – your thoughts and experiences 15:00 – male friendships 20:20 – skills gap 23:30 – men’s mental health 25:13 –queer friendships 27:25 – emotional/mental labour of women 30:43 – women feeling frustrated 33:20 – male loneliness epidemic isn’t real SHOW NOTES: Mensline Australia: 1300 789 978 Lifeline: 13 11 14 The State Of Loneliness 2023 data https://www.campaigntoendloneliness.o... Social Isolation And Loneliness in Australia https://www.aihw.gov.au/mental-health... ‘An uphill battle’: why are men struggling to make – and keep – friends? https://www.theguardian.com/wellness/.... Male loneliness and isolation: What the data shows https://aibm.org/research/male-loneli... The surprising truth about loneliness in America https://www.vox.com/even-better/36662... Side talk: Half of men feel more comfortable having difficult conversations shoulder-to-shoulder https://www.greeneking.co.uk/newsroom... Is Male Loneliness an Epidemic? A Gendered and Structural Reframing https://static1.squarespace.com/stati... The men's loneliness epidemic might not exist https://www.npr.org/2025/02/17/126352... Vulga Drawings instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/DFVr4eXop... Females were more likely to have mental health conditions https://www.americashealthrankings.or... Theorizing Mankeeping: The Male Friendship Recession and Women’s Associated Labor as a Structural Component of Gender Inequality https://www.researchgate.net/publicat... Men value romantic relationships more and suffer greater consequences from breakups than women https://www.psypost.org/men-value-rom...