The friendship crisis, solved?

It’s the last day of April, which means the end of The Male Friendship Equation, our month-long series placing these platonic relationships under the microscope. I think a group (man) hug is in order.

Do you feel better about the state of your own friend group, or possibly emboldened to expand it? I certainly do. Personally, I was inspired to pick a sport back up that used to provide built-in friendships, thanks to Tanner Garrity’s story about the special bond between tennis partners. And while I didn’t immediately blurt out “I love you!” to my pals when I met up with them for trivia at a brewery last week, Joe Kanzangu’s essay about the phrase was a reminder that vulnerability, which can feel embarrassing in the moment, is actually something we all strive for between friends. That’s a reminder I definitely needed.

If these stories aren’t ringing a bell, you can peruse the entire series on our website, as well as in this email below. You’ll find all sorts of eye-opening accounts, whether you need serious advice or just want to live vicariously through the writer whose job was to sign up for dating friendship apps and meet random guys in NYC.

If I could end the month the way I really want, I’d have Chez Chesak rent out Local Post in Cincinnati and have an open bar. Apparently that’s not in the budget, so instead I picked out a few quotes from the series that made me think about friendship in a new way:

Is there a topic that you wish we had explored? A story or quote that particularly spoke to you? If you have thoughts on the series or any requests for other stories you’d like to see in the future, email me at alex@insidehook.com. This series may be over, but like the Republican and Democrat I hashed it out with, we’re happy to reopen debates and discussions any time the mood strikes.

- Alex Lauer, features editor