This article is featured in Mamamia and is republished with permission.
What's worse, having no friends or smoking 15 cigarettes a day? Trick question, they're the same.
We've known this since 2023, when the World Health Organisation declared loneliness a "global health threat".
It's an epidemic! The experts said, prescribing social connection with the same gusto usually reserved for anti-sugar campaigns.
"Answer that phone call from a friend. Make time to share a meal," said US surgeon general Dr. Vivek H. Murthy.
"If we fail to do so, we will pay an ever-increasing price in the form of our individual and collective health and well-being."
Your call, introverts.
For the socially rich, it wasn't the worst news.
Oh no, the world's top health experts are recommending a brunch with the girls. There goes marathon training.
But not everyone was as lucky.
Women will be fine! Corners of the internet insisted. They have coffees and book clubs.
It's men we need to worry about.
Suddenly, the loneliness epidemic had a prefix: 'male'.
The male loneliness epidemic.
For years, men have been discouraged from speaking about their feelings. How on earth are they going to open up to the lads??
Male friendships are often "built around activity rather than emotional disclosure," psychotherapist Melissa Ferrari told Mamamia.
"They have mates, but not necessarily spaces where they feel safe expressing fear, inadequacy or sadness."
When men do express their feelings, it is often to the women in their lives.
"The person they feel closest to and the person they're most emotionally vulnerable with is their partner," added Dr Kelly Gough, the President of the Australian Psychological Society.
A risky move, to silo vulnerability in this way. Especially if that support person goes away.
"The real crunch time happens with breakups," said Dr Kelly. "The woman will often have a better social support network than the man. So he is going to feel even more disconnected and lonely."
But, hey, it's not all bad: social media, for all of its flaws, has helped normalise mental health, meaning younger men are more open to getting professional help.
Young men in therapy.
"Five years ago, many men would arrive in therapy almost apologetically — as though seeking support meant they had failed in some way," Melissa told us.
"Today, particularly with younger men, I'm seeing far more self-awareness and far more willingness to open up emotionally."
Many arrive in therapy already armed with a "vocabulary around anxiety, attachment, boundaries and trauma".
For most, the concern is the same.
"There's a tension many young men articulate: they don't want to be perceived as toxic or emotionally unavailable — but they're also unsure what healthy masculinity looks like now," Melissa said.
"Some worry about being 'too much'. Others fear being 'not enough'. There's performance anxiety in relationships — around success, physique, emotional competence, even political views. Social comparison is relentless."
The consequences are alarming. For a lonely man, one quip that "men aren't lonely enough", could be enough to tip him into an alt-right Reddit thread.
"Some younger men reference narratives around dominance, 'high value' identity, or adversarial views of women. Others carry deep fears of rejection shaped by online discourse," Melissa explained.
"The manosphere offers simple answers in a complex emotional landscape. It can provide belonging, structure, and a sense of certainty. For someone who feels confused or hurt, that can be appealing."
Young men are asking the same question.
In therapy, young men are "searching for clarity".
"Who am I allowed to be? What does strength actually mean? How do I show vulnerability without losing respect?"
It's essential that men continue to show up in this way.
"Suicide remains the leading cause of death for Australian men aged 15–44," said Melissa.
According to Dr Kelly and the ABS, seven Australian men die by suicide every day. Males account for roughly 75 per cent of all the suicide deaths in Australia.
"None of us are immune to difficult seasons," said Melissa. "The more we normalise support, the more equipped men will be to navigate those seasons safely. And that benefits not only men — but their partners, families and communities."