Latest news with #malefriendship
CBC
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBC
Friendship subverts traditional depictions of male companionship on screen
Comedians Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd star in a new dark comedy, Friendship. It's a film that delves into a subject you don't see represented often: friendship between men. Today on Commotion, host Elamin Abdelmahmoud sits down with film critics Adrian Horton and Jackson Weaver to discuss their thoughts on Friendship and how the film subverts traditional depictions of male companionship on screen.
Fast Company
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Fast Company
A TikTok trend has men calling to wish their friends good night. What does that say about male loneliness?
A new trend that's been circulating on social media has grown men reaching out to their buddies to say 'good night,' and sometimes even 'sweet dreams.' The trend has taken off on TikTok and Instagram in recent weeks, in part because the reactions from the men receiving the calls has often been humorous. In one video, a man calls his friend, tells him good night, and immediately gets a shocked response: 'What?' The caller replies, 'I'm just calling to tell you good night. Sweet dreams.' But that's not quite enough clarity for the man on the other end. 'Good night? A grown man telling another grown man good night?' he presses, while the caller muffles a laugh. The TikTok prank operates on exactly that premise—that grown men calling each other to say good night is funny because it's so utterly unexpected. Because truthfully, most grown men are not calling each other to check in before bed. Some men receiving the calls commented that nobody has called them to say good night in many years. That's as nightly check-ins—perhaps check-ins of any kind—can feel contrary to ingrained masculinity norms. But that's problematic. Male loneliness has been viewed as a growing issue, and has even been called an epidemic by some experts in recent years. One 2024 review of masculinity norms and how they impact male loneliness highlighted an 'urgent need' for a shift in order to 'support men's social connectedness.' Not only do men feel less connected, but they also are less likely to seek mental health care than women. According to some research, only an estimated one in 10 men suffering with depression or anxiety disorders receive treatment. A 'foreign' feeling Experts say that men don't always feel able to reach out, and when they don't, it can lead to isolation. Dr. Rachel Austin, a Maryland-based clinical psychologist, tells Fast Company she saw the trend circulating and was struck—but not surprised—by how 'foreign' it feels to so many men to do something that's 'more connected to emotion' than they may be used to. According to Austin, it can be especially hard for men to learn how to 'facilitate connection' when they fear doing so may be perceived as 'weak' or not masculine, and especially when doing so hasn't been modeled for them. That can make even recognizing the feeling a challenge. 'Many male patients that are lonely aren't articulating (even to their partners) what they need,' says Austin. Judging by the videos, while confused at first, the men actually appreciated the seemingly bizarre phone calls. Many ended up feeling touched, or said things like, 'I miss you,' or even, 'love you,' in response. Some of the men even began reminiscing about their younger days, perhaps back in high school or college, when touching base to check in and say good night was not a weird occurrence, but part of their routine. In one video posted on Instagram, which has over 757,000 likes at present, a dad calls his longtime buddy to say good night. The friend on the other end of the line instantly bursts out laughing, and brings up their high school days when nightly calls were expected from those in their friend group. 'I can't believe you remembered that,' the friend says. 'That was like a staple.' While the trend is wholesome, and certainly worth clicking through a few videos for a chuckle, the responses seem to reveal a deeper issue—that men reaching out to each other is sorely needed. It may even spark some sorely needed discussion about why exactly this feels so unexpected.
News.com.au
27-05-2025
- General
- News.com.au
Viral ‘goodnight bro' TikTok prank could save lives
Some say it's just a wholesome trend — others say it's a cure for the male loneliness epidemic. An adorable, new trend has bros — mostly Gen Z but all ages included — dialling up their fellow dudes just to say, 'Good night.' And the unexpectedly emotional reactions are tugging heartstrings on TikTok. In one mega-viral clip with over 3 million views, user @mirandafaye01 filmed her husband dialling up a bud 'Hi — what's up, man? … I'm about to go to bed, and I'm just calling you to tell you good night,' he says in the clip. His friend, caught off guard, replies, 'Why? Are you thinking of me for real?' After the man sweetly says he loves him, the stunned pal answers: 'God damn I love you too […] I don't know what to say; you caught me off guard.' Viewers were all in. 'Proof men need more platonic love in their lives,' one user commented. Another chimed in: 'In all seriousness, this is how you fight the male loneliness epidemic, just be friends with each other.' TikTokker @sydsacks joined the trend, posting a video of her fiance phoning his buddies to say good night, racking up 2.7 million views and a chorus of awwws. One friend giggled, 'What do you mean?' But when the caller doubled down, he replied warmly: 'All right, man, well, good night. That's really sweet of you. I hope you have a good night.' The comments were glowing. 'NORMALISE THIS TYPE OF MALE BEHAVIOUR,' one wrote. Another rated it a '10/10' and called it 'so wholesome.' One even branded the bedtime bro-check a major 'green flag.' But this bedtime banter may be more than a viral joke — it could be tapping into a much deeper issue. As The Post previously reported, a Gallup poll found that American men, especially Gen Z and millennials, are the loneliest people in the country. One in four U.S. men under 35 report feeling isolated, compared to just 18 per cent of women in the same age group — and significantly more than their counterparts in countries like France and Canada. 'This is the coming to a head of a set of forces that have been in existence in boys' and men's lives for generations,' psychologist Michael Reichert told Fortune Well in a recent interview. Justin Yong, a New York psychotherapist, told the outlet that many men are retreating into 'toxic digital occupiers like gaming and porn' that 'give this short term dopamine hit and relief that replaces real intimacy and acts as a barrier to being vulnerable to how they might be feeling.' Another culprit? Masculine norms. 'The problem, of course,' Reichert added, 'is that when they became less authentic, they alienated themselves from even their important relationships, feeling that they had to hide a part of themselves because the world didn't want that from them … Beginning at age 4.' '[Loneliness] transcends borders and is becoming a global public health concern affecting every facet of health, wellbeing and development,' Chido Mpemba, African Union Youth Envoy, previously told The Guardian. Former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy echoed the urgency. 'Given the profound health and societal consequences of loneliness and isolation, we have an obligation to make the same investments in rebuilding the social fabric of society that we have made in addressing other global health concerns, such as tobacco use, obesity and the addiction crisis,' he said in a previous statement. Sometimes, a simple 'Good night, bro' might be the first step.
New York Times
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Men Are Calling Other Men to Say Good Night, and the Results Are Amazing
When DeAndre Scarborough, a 24-year-old content creator and college research coordinator, decided to call several of his male friends, and his brother, to wish them each a good night, he knew that they'd be thrown for a loop. Lying in bed with his girlfriend around 11 p.m., Mr. Scarborough made a call, delivering the good night message to a friend who immediately responded with confusion and laughter, asking, 'You good?' In between giggles, another friend, equally confused, said, 'Man you're calling the wrong number, these freak hours.' Mr. Scarborough had seen the trend online and, after some nudging by his girlfriend, decided to upload his own video. He said what makes this trend 'twice as funny' as others is that it's so uncommon for men to talk to each other vulnerably. 'We're not really emotionally tapped in with each other, so for the most part if you say something like that, people immediately think the worst,' he said in a phone interview on Friday. 'So that's why the people that I called were like 'you good?,' because we don't really have those types of conversations, saying good night. The most you'll get is a 'yo, what's up.'' Phone calls out of the blue can be surprising for many people in 2025, let alone male friends. That is part of the magic behind the trend on Instagram and TikTok in which men call their friends to say good night. The videos have led to genuine confusion and surprise, and a lot of laughter. The simple act of watching a man expressing that he platonically cares about another man has fascinated social media users, with the videos stacking up thousands of views. Kassadi Lavrinovich, a 25-year-old lawyer living in Knoxville, Tenn., likes to curate a saved folder on TikTok of videos for her husband, Michael Lavrinovich, who does not use the app. While scrolling through clips, they came across a few of the good night videos and he thought it would be great to try it with his friends. 'Good night baby, I love you,' his first friend responded in jest before genuinely asking if he was all right and if his wife was with him. Another asked if he was joking and shared that he couldn't remember the last time someone said good night to him. 'Was I just on your mind after a long day?' he continued. 'You're always on my mind,' Mr. Lavrinovich replied, holding back his laughter. 'I expected it to be hilarious, because my friends are hilarious, but I did not expect it to be as sweet as it was,' he said in a phone interview. 'I call my friends all the time, I have never called them to say good night, so the first friend, it was a very sweet moment when he asked if I was OK.' Making up for the brevity in her husband's response, or in her words, 'selling it short,' Ms. Lavrinovich added that the calls led to deeper conversations and connections between her husband and his friends. One of them called Michael the next day to check in and share personal news about his relationship. 'The third friend, who said, like, 'Man I can't remember the last time someone called to tell me good night,' that's one of Michael's greatest friends,' she said. 'And so that sparked Michael to be like, 'Let's grab dinner this week, like we really need to hang out.' And so then they went on a date a couple of nights later, just the two of them.' Given the rising reports of loneliness among men, it's not a surprise that there would be demand for these types of connections — even if the interactions begin as jokes. According to a 2021 survey of more than 2,000 adults in the United States by the Survey Center on American Life, nearly half of women and less than one-third of men said they had a private conversation with a friend where they shared their personal feelings within a week. And 40 percent of women reported receiving emotional support from a friend, compared with 21 percent of men. 'I think that's definitely a bridge that men should cross with one another,' Mr. Scarborough said. 'If it's not a good night, then it's just checking in and seeing how people are doing mentally.' All of the men interviewed for this article said their female partners encouraged them to make the call. According to Carson Reimer, it became a funny way to show his new girlfriend of two weeks, Arianna Loggia, some insight into his close friendships, as many of them are long distance. In the days since he recorded his clip, Mr. Reimer, who is a private chef in the Hamptons, has been planning a trip to see one of the men he called. 'He recently opened a restaurant in Seattle and he's one of my longtime chef friends and he's doing great up in the Northwest,' Mr. Reimer said in a phone interview. Ms. Loggia, a 31-year-old health tech worker in San Diego, said she loved hearing her partner and his friends show appreciation for one another. 'I think that who you surround yourself with really says a lot about you and how you carry yourself,' she said. 'So for me, that's important for my partner to be surrounded by people who really lift him up and support him.'
