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Loneliness in Men

The recent mass shooting tragedy in Las Vegas brought this to my attention, loneliness in men. I am not a man so I don’t have that insight. The recent events revealed some interesting insight into trying to understand why men are struggling with this so much. I know as a female, I want a man who has friendships that contribute to his well-being. 

You men that fight healthy relationships can have a higher incidence of illness and chances of premature death. That is profound.

Dr. Dean Ornish, the founder of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute, on the effects of loneliness:  “I am not aware of any other factor — not diet, not smoking, not exercise, not stress, not genetics, not drugs, not surgery — that has a greater impact on our incidence of illness, and [chance of] premature death.” ~ Dr. Dean Ornish

I cannot state that one any more clearly. Read more on the subject of loneliness and chronic illness in Psychology Today.

Through my interactions with men, I see this all too often. In some, it appears to be a veiled death wish.

In an effort to understand why men’s friendships are less intimate than women’s, psychologist Niobe Way found “…at about age 15 to 16 — right at the same age that the suicide rate of boys increases to four times the rate of girls — boys start reporting that they don’t have friends and don’t need them. Because Way interviewed young men across each year of high school, she was able to document this shift.”~ Salon

People with friends are happier people who create healthier people…who in turn create a better society for all.

I am not a man so I cannot speak into the difficulties this culture has presented with making quality friendships. I can only say that as a female, my hope is that more men would break through this cultural barrier for the benefit of yourself, ours, and for future generations.

An article on the tragedy of recent events in Las Vegas has some fascinating insight, written by a man, Charlie Hoehn

“We are a culture that continually neglects the emotional health of our boys, and our men.” ~ Charlie Hoehn

Find a way to foster real relationships.

As a man, how are you most comfortable with other men that allows you authentic communication?

Maribeth Baxter, MBEC

LOGO - 2017-12

Donations accepted to serve others on their chronic illness journey. Maribeth Baxter, MBEC provides voluntary certified health coaching services to the financially limited during their time of crisis.

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