Since I’ve hit my late 30s (male), I’ve found it’s been incredibly hard to build real friendships with others, especially other men. It’s probably a combination of being married and being older, but it’s gotten worse since having kids (2 under 2), the pandemic, and WFH. I meet new people and parents often but any tips on how to build meaningful friendships outside of the casual convos we have when we see each other?

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From what I see this is super common across society, not just parents. I feel like I’ve made my last real friendship a long time ago and it’s just a matter of seeing friends drop off one by one

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It definitely gets harder especially when you get older. Best thing to do is to get a new hobby, maybe it could be sports, language, or music. Join a club that involves the hobby. You’ll meet loads of people that way.

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This is the sad unfortunate part of getting old. I’m almost 30 too. I play soccer most weekends and try to invite some of the guys to come for a bbq with their significant others. It’s hard to get people together to build friendships because everyone seems busy

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I’m in mid 30’s and no kids or SO and still feel the same too.

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Florida… Straight F. Looking to connect with professionals who are like minded to build meaningful friendships.

Same, it's like no one cares about each other enough to actually want to hang out or maintain the friendship.

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This is a well documented phenomenon, but there aren’t any easy solutions. I encourage you to read “Tribe” by Sebastian Junger. The book is not explicitly about this topic, but speaks a bit about lifelong friendships formed between military, law enforcement, fire fighters, etc, who bond through shared trauma.

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How are you approaching building the relationships with others? Do you have the energy to engage with them beyond surface level to establish a connection?
I often see people talk about having this issue but the ones I personally know who bring it up tend to be people who are more focused on talking about themselves vs having hobbies or topics to talk about. They don’t view themselves as self-centered and I don’t think they are but they seem to more so be looking for an outlet to talk about themselves since they don’t have a space for it otherwise.

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If you meet a cool male ask if he wants to grab a beer. If female then coffee. If a couple then grab dinner with them and your wife. Also, try to work no more than 40 hours per week and have a social hobby

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Works for me 🤷

I’m a woman in my mid 20s and you’re definitely not alone in your experience demographically. I have the same 2 friends I’ve had since college and were all busy so I’ve been trying to build new friendships. It’s honestly incredibly hard. Tried talking to people at bars and fun events. Tried Bumble BFF. The pandemic made it harder for a lot of people & I know my social circle got cut down a lot. Commenting for any advice people have bc I really want to prioritize building more femme and queer friendships going into the fall

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Join meet up groups that are centered around your interests. You can also try fitness or martial arts classes as well

Watch “I love you man” 😂 Paul Rudd at his finest

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