We Sent a Guy From Our Office on a Quest to Make New Man Friends

This article was made in partnership with Movember.

Last month we made Micah, our ad operations guy, go to a number of events in Melbourne and Sydney to try and befriend, platonically, random men. It's not that Micah didn't already have a good circle of buddies; he's actually a confident and friendly guy who most of us in the office really like. The reason we sent him was to find out why it is that Australian men, even happy and well-adjusted ones, are often at a loss when it comes to forming new male relationships.

Studies funded by The Movember Foundation show that diminishing friendship circles are an issue that faces a lot of guys in the country, especially as they finish uni and the demands of work and relationships increase. Friends are important because they help safeguard against anxiety, depression, and other mental illness. They're also good for just talking shit with, obviously. The point is, friends are good and being a mysterious loner isn't as great as it seems in movies.