White men's friendships are shallowest

A growing body of research suggests men—especially white men—report less closeness, intimacy, satisfaction, and instrumental support from friends than women and other ethnic groups. Framing this as a distinct pattern (white men at the shallow end of the friendship distribution) highlights an intersection of gender and ethnicity that is often overlooked in public debate. — If white men systematically lack close peer ties, that has implications for mental health, social trust, recruitment into politics or extremist networks, and policy design for social support.