Hinge Spotlights The Side of Male Friendship People Often Don't See

Much of the cultural conversation about young men and friendship today suggests they’re lacking vulnerability and emotional closeness. Hinge’s new research tells another side of the story. Gen Z men already have and desire deep friendships. 71% of US and 65% of UK Gen Z men say willingness to be vulnerable is important in friendship.

That vulnerability, though, isn’t always obvious from the outside to other people. For Gen Z men, closeness rarely looks like sitting down for one big heart-to-heart. It’s often built through the small acts and shared experiences that happen every day.

That’s the insight behind How We Friend, Hinge’s One More Hour campaign showcasing the small moments that strengthen male friendships. Rather than focusing on what men aren’t doing, How We Friend shines a light on how they’re already showing up for one another — from the different ways they say “I love you” to hosting a potluck dinner for their fitness community. Through new research and male creators sharing their own friendships, the campaign makes the often-unseen ways men care for each other, easier to see.

Because the friendship everyone sees is built through all the little things that go unseen.

Spend The Day With an NBA Star and His Best Friend
To bring How We Friend to life, Hinge partnered with NBA player Jared McCain (he/him) of the Oklahoma City Thunder and his best friend, Nate Thai (he/him). Their friendship shows how Gen Z men build deep bonds that are both playful and vulnerable. 50% of Gen Z men in the US and UK say conversations with their close friends are an even mix of surface-level and emotionally deep.

In a film designed to reflect the realities of male friendship today, Jared and Nate arrive at Little Tokyo Table Tennis – a grantee of Hinge’s One More Hour fund – with one question to settle: Who’s the better friend?

Jared suggests they settle it over a game of table tennis. They play to 21, but with a twist: every third point pauses the game for a question designed to test how well they really know each other. If they get it right, they earn a three-point "friendship point.” Between the competition and jokes, behind-the-scenes confessionals share a candid look into their appreciation for each other since first meeting three years ago.

Jared shares, "A big misconception about male friendship in general, they don't talk about their feelings. I'm pretty good about expressing how I feel to him, and I think he knows how much he means to me."

The film was created in partnership with Obsidianworks, the creative company co-founded by male friends Michael B. Jordan (he/him), Chad Easterling (he/him), and Bobby Moore III (he/him). “I hope How We Friend shows that there are many ways to connect and foster friendships. Sometimes that means trying new things, meeting new people, or being a little more vulnerable,” Chad says.

Men Aren't Shy About Opening Up To Their Friends
Hinge Love and Connection Expert and LMFT, Moe Ari Brown (he/they) notes, “There’s a myth in our culture that men need or want less emotional connection than everyone else, and it’s just not true. Emotional intimacy is a human craving, not a gendered one.”

70% of US and 73% of UK Gen Z men feel they have enough people they feel comfortable asking for help at any time. And 54% of U.S. and 59% of UK Gen Z men say they talk to their friends about their problems when they’re struggling, more than any other source of support such as parents, siblings, or significant others.

For men, the small acts build closeness. As Moe puts it: “In a culture that tells men to carry everything alone or to never need anything, it's vulnerable to let someone check on you. Sending the meme, texting back, not shutting someone out the moment they try to get close — these are small acts, but they all require the same thing: letting yourself care and letting yourself be cared for.”

There’s More than One Way to Friend
Jared and Nate’s friendship is one story. For How We Friend, Hinge partnered with various male perspectives in the US and UK, including A View, from a Bridge, BubbaCollins, and Josh&Moyo, to share their own takes on friendships. 

For comedy and gaming duo SlushyNoobz, that meant inviting their audience directly into the conversation. During a livestream, the two hung out over a picnic, reflected on their own friendship, and asked viewers to share the moments and rituals that keep their friendships strong. The collaboration brought How We Friend into a space where Gen Z men connect and build community.

How to Find and Maintain Strong Friendship in Adulthood
According to Hinge’s research, 63% of U.S. and 62% of UK Gen Z men say they met their close friends during their teenage years, compared to 36% who met them in early adulthood. School made friendship easy in a way adulthood doesn't.

Meeting Jared changed Nate’s mind about building strong friendships in adulthood. He shares, “I used to always think the person that you’ve known the longest is your best friend. But I literally just met Jared. In three years, I feel like I’ve known him my whole life.”

Moe Ari says adulthood doesn’t eliminate the opportunity for friendship. It just removes some of the built-in structure that made it easier. School and sports naturally give people repeated time together, shared experiences, and a reason to keep showing up.

His advice? “Make friends in places you already gravitate toward and do things you already are interested in doing. Your hobbies, your gym, the interests that already put you in the room with similar people regularly are great places to start. Shared interests serve as built-in points of connection, conversation starters, and are likely what you’ll bond over in early stages of connection.” 

Why Community Matters to Hinge
Hinge is on a mission to create a less lonely world, and we know that takes more than a great date.

Romantic relationships are one important part of a connected life. So are the friends, familiar faces, and communities that give us a sense of belonging. That’s why Hinge created One More Hour, our social impact initiative focused on helping people spend more meaningful time together offline and creating more opportunities for IRL connection.

With How We Friend, we’re celebrating the friendships already happening and encouraging more of the moments that keep them going.

Methodology: Cross-sectional surveys conducted in December 2025 and April 2026 of 2,587 US and 2,114 UK Gen Z adults explored how men and women build, value, and struggle with close friendships.