The Hidden Tragedy of Male Loneliness

The Hidden Tragedy of Male Loneliness

Many men prioritize the pursuit of status, power, and autonomy, which can have its advantages in moving them towards financial security and up society's ladder. But as my guest lays out in his book, Lonely at the Top: The High Cost of Men's Success, a focus on work over relationships can also come with significant, even tragic costs.

His name is Thomas Joiner and he's a clinical psychologist, a professor of psychology, and an investigator with the Military Suicide Research Consortium. Thomas and I begin our conversation with his work around suicide, why men commit suicide at a rate 4X higher than women, and how loneliness is a primary factor in what drives men to take their own lives. From there we talk about the problem of male loneliness in general and how it can begin in a man's thirties and get worse as he advances through middle age. We unpack the difference between subjective and objective loneliness and how you can feel alone in a crowd, as well as be something Thomas calls "alone but oblivious." We discuss how everyone is "spoiled" by relationships in their youth, and why men struggle more than women to learn to take the initiative in this regard later in life. We end our discussion with why therapy isn’t the right solution for many men who struggle with depression and loneliness, and how equally effective solutions can be found in simply making more of an effort to balance a focus on work and family with socializing and reaching out to others, and particularly, Thomas argues, in reconnecting with your friends from high school and college.

Get the show notes at aom.is/lonely.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jaksot(1158)

Boots, Tents, Sleeping Bags, and More: How to Choose and Use Outdoor Gear

Boots, Tents, Sleeping Bags, and More: How to Choose and Use Outdoor Gear

A fair amount of gear is involved in making a camping or backpacking trip a success, and choosing that gear can be a little intimidating as there are lots of options, and it's expensive to boot.Here t...

19 Elo 202448min

The Habits of Highly Effective Risk-Takers

The Habits of Highly Effective Risk-Takers

You may know Nate Silver as an election forecaster. But he’s a poker player as well. And his experiences operating in a world of competition and risk led him to explore what his fellow gamblers, as we...

14 Elo 202443min

Practicing Spiritual Disciplines as an Act of Resistance

Practicing Spiritual Disciplines as an Act of Resistance

To train the body, strengthening its muscles, increasing its cardiovascular health, and improving its agility, you need to do exercises like stretching, running, and lifting weights.To train the soul,...

12 Elo 202458min

The Science of Motivating Your Kids (And Any Young Adult)

The Science of Motivating Your Kids (And Any Young Adult)

If you’re a parent, teacher, coach, or manager who lives, loves, and works with tweens, teens, and 20s-somethings, you know that young people sometimes act in seemingly head-scratching ways, that you ...

7 Elo 202451min

Lose Weight and Keep It Off With Flexible Dieting

Lose Weight and Keep It Off With Flexible Dieting

When many people try to lose weight, they choose a specific, cookie-cutter diet that claims to be the one true way to shed pounds. My guest says that approach is bound to backfire, and that there's a ...

5 Elo 202448min

How to Resist Group Anxiety and Become a Differentiated Self

How to Resist Group Anxiety and Become a Differentiated Self

When we think about anxiety, we typically think of something that is generated and felt within an individual. But Murray Bowen, a psychiatrist of the mid-20th century, argued that anxiety was also cre...

31 Heinä 202455min

The Vital Skills We’re Losing to Technology (And How to Reclaim Them)

The Vital Skills We’re Losing to Technology (And How to Reclaim Them)

Do moments where you run up against your dependence on modern technology get you wondering about the ways some of your personal capabilities seem to be atrophying?Graham Lee has spent years thinking a...

29 Heinä 202449min

How to Know When It's Time to Break Up With Your Job

How to Know When It's Time to Break Up With Your Job

You have a relationship with family, with friends, with a romantic partner. You may not have thought about it this way, but you also have a relationship with your job — a quite serious one, in fact; a...

24 Heinä 202449min

Suosittua kategoriassa Koulutus

rss-murhan-anatomia
psykopodiaa-podcast
voi-hyvin-meditaatiot-2
rss-narsisti
adhd-podi
rss-rahamania
psykologia
ihminen-tavattavissa-tommy-hellsten-instituutti
kesken
rss-liian-kuuma-peruna
rss-duodecim-lehti
rss-valo-minussa-2
rss-vapaudu-voimaasi
jari-sarasvuo-podcast
rss-tietoinen-yhteys-podcast-2
rahapuhetta
rss-turun-yliopisto
rss-arkea-ja-aurinkoa-podcast-espanjasta
rss-ranskaa-raakana
rss-uskonto-on-tylsaa