Men still not sure of expressing emotions

The pandemic has changed the way we work, shop, and communicate.

HYDERABAD: A survey conducted by McDowell’s No.1 Soda in association with YouGov across the country among men in the age group of 25-45 years aimed to understand the complex nature of Indian friendships, their evolution during the pandemic and why friends are hesitant to let each other know what they mean to them,  which resulted in some interesting revelations.  

Key insights

•  60% of the people said they call/reach out to their family members and partners every day. However, when it came to best friend/s, less than one-third (28%) stated that they are able to keep in touch on a daily basis
• Over 50% of them are likely to reach out to their best friend/s first and foremost if they were left stranded in the middle of the night
• Seven in 10 (68%) say that they don’t actually tell their best friend/s how they feel about them very often
• Seven in every 10 men also indicated that the pandemic has not been able to shake their bond
• 38% of the men agreed that talking to a friend helps them feel normal during these times
• 40% of the men agreed that the frequency of calling/reaching out to their best friend/s has gone down compared to a time before Covid-19
• 32% say that despite the physical restrictions, their friendship has remained strong
• Three out of four individuals agree that in the current times, it is very important to tell their friends how they feel about them. 

The pandemic has changed the way we work, shop, and communicate. Our relationships have also changed, especially our friendships and the way we show our gratitude towards our friends. Staying away from friends has made the need to express our feelings towards them a lot more than usual.

The survey also aimed to understand the complex nature of Indian friendships and why we there is a need to celebrate the special bond. Across the country and cultures, it was found that yaars talk about anything and everything with each other.

But when it comes to expressing how they feel for each other, they fall short. The findings that came out were equally eye opening, thus suggesting Yaars to take one day at a time and declare their love and appreciation for your yaar!

The respondents were asked various questions around friendship and family to determine the results. Questions like their first choice of different moments & situations in life, to how often they sat down and spent time speaking with- Family, partner & best friend and how often they actually told their friends what they mean in their lives among others. 

It was found that even though men don’t call/reach out to their friends as often as they do with family members or partners, their best friend/s hold a special place in their lives.