Do you need guy friends? Do you find it hard to make guy friends who are just friends? Do you have more friends of the opposite sex than male friends? Are you interested in making the right guy friends and not just your co-workers? Are you looking for information on guy friend groups? If your answer is yes to any or all of these questions, this article is for you.
Hi. My name is Sean Galla, a facilitator for guy friends groups like men support groups, men’s forums, and men’s groups. In my line of work, I create a platform where men can meet other men in a safe environment that allows them to nurture platonic friendships. I have seen firsthand how important it is for every man to have guy friends. If you are interested in joining a social circle of like-minded men, this article is for you.
In this article, you will learn everything you need to know about making guy friends and guy friends groups.
Table of Contents:
Who Are Guy Friends?
When looking for platonic relationships, most people men confused about the actual meaning of having guy friends. Simply put, guy friends are male friends with whom you share a mostly platonic friendship as opposed to romantic. If you have one or a few male friends, they can be termed as your guy friends.
Guy friends share a sense of camaraderie in little things. They often spend time with one another in a group setup where they share, learn and explore together. They have a deep level of connection that is different from that in a romantic relationship. Sometimes, guy friends have an unspoken or spoken commitment to one another, including being there for each other emotionally. Guy friends often make it ok t be vulnerable around each other.
So if you’re looking for information about I Have No Friends, then join mensgroup.com today!
Why Men Need Guy Friends?
When growing up, male friendships come more naturally. However, as boys get to middle school, fear takes over their easy ability to make male friends. By the time a man gets to high school and late adolescence, most young men are fearful that having a group of guy friends will make them seem girly, gay, or immature. Therefore, instead of making lasting male friendships and spending time with their friends, they focus on ensuring they do not send out the wrong ideas about who they are, which often causes them to let go of most male friends.
When young men ignore the need for male friends, it often leads to a generation of emotionally stoic, autonomous, and isolated adult males with personal issues. These are men who try to live up to societal expectations and beliefs of what a man is. They have been programmed to believe that a man should not be vulnerable, show emotions, or allow people to get too close to them.
While some men can have tons of guy friends, others have difficulty making friends in general. As a man gets older, you tend to retain a few male friends with hardly the chance to make new ones. Yet, according to research, men still crave intimacy in friendships, just as women do. Lacking close friendships is not advisable as it leads to prolonged loneliness, which affects a man’s emotions, cognition, health, and behavior. Lack of a close-knit group of guy friends causes physiological aging in men.
Loneliness is one of the greatest threats to men’s health. Most men have a hard time admitting that they are lonely or need more male friends because growing up, most men were never taught the importance of having a close group of male friends. According to scientific research, loneliness can trigger wring signal hormones and molecules that dictate human behavior, which have lasting effects on men’s mental health.
Emotional isolation is one of the leading causes of smoking, diabetes, obesity, Alzheimer’s, heart disease, high blood pressure, tumors, and other neurodegenerative behaviors.
Guy friends are stress busters.
Having a best friend or platonic companion you can share with is one of the best ways to lower stress. According to studies, having a male best friend when you are stressed can significantly reduce cortisol levels, a stress hormone. Friends are good for a man’s mental health, and this is no different got people in a Bromance.
Guy friendships allow you to be yourself.
Generally, society expects men always to act as if they are fine, even when they are not. Part of being in a Bromance is to be able to be yourself amongst other men. You are allowed to be vulnerable and show emotions. In a Bromance, you are free to speak your mind and share your stresses without feeling as if you are less of a man for doing so. Being able to be yourself boosts your self-esteem, which is good for your mental health.
Guy friends are good for your physical health.
Sometimes, having guy friends is about having a group of friends you exercise with. When you work out alone, you find it harder to remain motivated to keep pushing. If you want to get fitter, having a group of friends pushing you and encouraging you can go a long way in helping you reach your physical fitness goals.
Guy friends are friends who are not your romantic partner
No matter how close you are to your partner, there is a level of emotional closeness and vulnerability you are unable to reach. Having male friends allows you to explore the depths of emotional attachments and vulnerability in a safe space. Most men feel emotionally closer to their male friends, which is what a Bromance should be.
Guy friendships boost your brainpower.
As you grow older, it becomes more important than before to have a close circle of male friends. According to studies, cognitive decline is slower in men who regularly see their friends. Seniors with close friendships or a group of friends are less likely to develop dementia and other mental health complications related to old age.
How to Make Guy Friends?
The number one reason men find it hard to make guy friends is that they do not know how to do it right. The worst thing you can do is decide to go out and make guy friends without learning how to do so effectively.
Find men you have things in common with.
Whether you like spending your time playing video games, laughing at memes, hiking, or on Snapchat, the best advice is to ensure you find men you share interests with. Finding common interests is one of the most challenging parts of building friendships. To make it easy, you can ask questions about their hobbies, interests, and life. If you are not sure about what you like, you can pursue hobbies that put you in the way of meeting new people. Some people have met their best friend by taking a chance.
Some of the hobbies most guys are interested in include bike polo, video gaming, sports, rock climbing, hiking, religious events, and volunteering.
Befriend the right people.
Even as you strive to make guy friends, it is important to ensure you make meaningful male friendships. A good friend is someone who helps you to grow and learn and vice versa. Your ideal friend should add value to your life as you add value to theirs. While a good sense of humor is good, you need friends who will accept you for you and help you build your self-esteem to become the man you wish to be. The best guy friends hold each other accountable by caring about one another’s self-development.
It is also important to take your time to know whom you can or cannot trust. It is important to ensure you only allow genuine and honest men into your friend zone or social circle. This will ensure you can be vulnerable and honest without fear of judgment or ridicule from your friends.
Have fun.
While this may seem straightforward, a good number of men do not know how to relax and have fun. For you to build your male friendships, you need to be able to have fun with them. See a movie, show off your sense of humor, go out for a drink or sit and relax together, do whatever it takes to have fun with your friends.
Make room for new friends.
Most men make a common mistake when they finally make male friends hold on to the wrong type of friends for fear of never finding better ones. To have meaningful friendships, you need to have room to add more meaningful guys into your social circle.
Allow yourself to be vulnerable.
One of the best ways to deepen your friendship and develop a strong bond with your guy friends is to allow yourself to be vulnerable. Generally, men stay away from conversations and talks that involve their feelings and emotions, as expressiveness is seen as a weakness. This forces men to pretend to be ok even when they are not.
Allowing yourself to be vulnerable makes it easier for your friends to open up to you too and makes it easier to start conversations about male emotions, mental health, and self-development.
The Best Places to Make Guy Friends
Fraternities
Fraternal organizations can bring satisfaction and fulfillment in a man’s life by helping them meet like-minded men. These are the perfect places to make a close friend since they provide the perfect platform to make new guy friends without worrying about romantic feelings. You meet people who share common ideas, the same sense of responsibility and tradition, and a focus on self-growth.
Religious organizations/churches
Churches present promising avenues to make male friendships with fellow men who share the same values and beliefs as you. Many churches have groups that cater to men only designed to offer spiritual growth and fellowship with fellow men.
Sports leagues
If you are a sports lover, joining a sports team can be the best way to make new guy friends amongst your teammates as you share an activity you all enjoy. Most cities and towns clubs for men you can join for some man competition. Being part of a sports group also helps you stay in shape as you feed your man spirit and create lifetime bonds with other males.
Book clubs
For the longest time, book clubs have been associated with a place where women make female friends. On the contrary, there is nothing feminine about books. Coming together with guy friends to discuss meaningful literature can be one of the easiest ways to make good guy friends. These are people you share common interests with, thus making it easier to bond.
Guy friends groups
Sometimes, the easiest way to make guy friends is by joining a guy friends group on social media or online. Joining a guy friends group ensures you build friendships that meet your needs from the start. Guy friends groups ensure you meet like-minded men who share your interests, ideas, and plans. Some of the best guy friends groups include:
Guy Burstein
Guy Burstein is a self-help forum that encourages healing, growth, and transformation. It is specifically created for men who want to achieve a higher sense of self-awareness and anyone looking to learn how to cultivate better personal male relationships.
Everyman
This is a benefit corporation bringing together men from all walks of life to a space where they can freely exercise their emotions to lead a fulfilling and successful life. Everyman uses life-coaching, events, and retreats as part of their service delivery to allow men to be themselves in a natural habitat. They aim to support at least 5 million men in the next five years, making it a community of men dedicated to promoting emotional wellness amongst men, even as they make lasting male friends.
Mensgroup
Men’s Group is an online-based support group and forum that focuses on men and the needs of men. It offers a platform where men from different parts of the world can come together to discuss everyday issues that affect men.
Even though this is the 21st century, society still expects men to head the home and be the pillar of strength in families. Even so, men also need to vent, be heard, and sometimes show emotions when they feel overwhelmed. Mensgroup offers a safe space where men can seek advice, discuss pertinent issues in society, and make meaningful friendships.
Whether you need advice on your career or romantic relationship, support to reach a new goal, or making close friends, mensgroup.com is the first place to be.
As an online group, the meetup takes place online through video calls or chat. This allows every male to make good friends, even when they run a busy schedule. It is open to Americans in cities like New York and California and anyone else from any other part of the world.
Conclusion
If you are interested in making guy friends, you need to be willing to put in the work to cultivate the friendship and make it what you and your new best friend want it to be. Join a fraternity or church group to increase your chances of making new male friends. Mensgroup is one of the best places to make friends with whom you share common interests, goals, and ideas.
*Sources: 1. Learning to Connect With My Male Friends 2. How Are Men’s Friendships Different From Women’s? 3. Podcast #360: Understanding Male Friendships 4. Friends With Performance Benefits: A Meta-Analysis on the Relationship Between Friendship and Group Performance 5. Friendship for Guys (No Tears!)
