This series on The Year for Better Male Friendships moves to another set of traits of the deeper, more authentic friendship that every man needs. As I continue making my case that men need better friendships, this next excerpt from my book, Get Out of Your Man Cave: The Crisis of Male Friendships, describes two more traits that help transform a good friendship into a GodBuddy: developing trust and establishing confidentiality.  Trust is Important to Men  Dr. Michael Kimmel and his team at Stoney Brook University conducted research on Men and Masculinity that revealed: Most of the time, men enter into relationships with a bit of caution because we’re wired to compete.. This aversion goes back to our caveman days when we did not know if the stranger approaching us would pillage our town, steal our food, and take our weapons. During modern times, industrialization puts us in competition for

In my previous post, The Traits of a GodBuddy Friendship, I defined the type of friendship I believe every man needs. I also listed the specific characteristics of a GodBuddy relationship. As I continue making my case for 2025 as The Year for Better Male Friendships, my next several posts will detail how each trait can move good friends toward this deeper, more authentic type of friendship. Let’s start with where most friendships begin: by finding commonality and building chemistry.   Commonality Defined Merriam-Webster’s online Dictionary describes Commonality as “possession of a common feature or attribute” or the plural as “possession of common features or attributes”. For friendships, finding commonality is often found between very similar people with the same interests, such as being fans of a particular sport or team, or sharing a hobby or passion for philapthropy. Commonality can also exist between completely different personalities. For instance, an extroverted

The basis for my case for 2025 as The Year for Better Male Friendships is the recent epidemic of loneliness in the U.S. and the Decline of Friendship, especially among men. This next post lists the specific traits of a GodBuddy friendship and explains the differences between traits and Principles of a GodBuddy Friendship that I described in my previous post. These traits, which I will detail in subsequent posts, will transform a good friendship into a deeper, more authentic friendship that helps you become a better man.  The Difference between Principles and Traits  Friendship, at its core, is built upon the principles of trust, loyalty, and mutual support through shared experiences and understanding. Traits, on the other hand, are the specific characteristics or qualities that individuals exhibit in their friendship. Think of this way: principles are general guidelines, while traits are the behaviors and characteristics that demonstrate those principles in