American men’s hidden crisis: They need more friends!

[Major Nikon]

6. Seems to draw a lot of conclusions that have alternate explanations

The idea that men want the same level of intimacy from their friends doesn't necessarily mean they want that from their male friends. As the author pointed out, "If a man does have a confidant, three-quarters of the time it’s a woman, and there’s a good chance she’s his wife or girlfriend." A far more simpler explanation is that men have different expectations from male friends as opposed to female friends.

The author also was either unaware or failed to point out that depression is most common in middle aged women and is 70% more common with women in general. So the idea that more intimate friendships pays women more mental health dividends later in life doesn't seem to jive with the available data.