Do Men Suck At Friendship?
> That's because nearly all research into healthy aging has found that the key to a long, happy life is not diet or exercise but strong social connections – that is, friendships. Loneliness accelerates age-related declines in cognition and motor function, while a single good friend has been shown to make as much as a 10-year difference in overall life expectancy.<p>This makes me sad :(  My mother passed away from cancer in 2001 after 16 years of marriage to my father.  Their marriage was one of those ideal marriages that most people don't think really exists; they were truly each other's best friend and were incredibly happy together.<p>Now that my sister is finishing college and I'm in grad school, my dad goes to work for long hours each day and comes home to an empty house.  He doesn't socialize much more than going to the coffee shop on weekend mornings.<p>I don't know what to do about this; I live three hours away and can't visit every weekend, and my sister is getting married soon and moving away as well.  He's not opposed to dating, but the last time he dated was nearly a decade ago, and I know he doesn't want to date because of the sheer sadness he still feels from my mother's death.  He has mentioned it would be really nice to have a companion though.<p>I need ideas.  Solitude isn't a good way to spend the rest of one's life, and I really want him to be happy.  This article has confirmed my fears about loneliness even more, and I want to help him.