Most everyone struggles with saying no. It’s hard to say no to the dinner invitation from the perfectly-nice-but-deathly-boring acquaintance; to the looks-good-on-paper-but-is-sure-to-fail proposal from a boss; to the request that you serve in an entirely-worthy-but-wholly-unsuited-to-your-talents role at church. Saying no feels awkward. It feels impolite. It makes you feel bad that maybe you’re not as […]| The Art of Manliness
At some point all of us will likely experience a job loss or some other big life setback. While it can feel like your world is crashing down, there’s one asset you'll hopefully have at your disposal which can help you weather the storm: your social circle.| The Art of Manliness
I want to know how my kids' day went. So I figured there had to be a better way to get them to open up when we’re hanging out at the end of the day.| The Art of Manliness
A few weeks ago, I came across an article about how young people these days are tired of dating apps and want to meet romantic partners in real life. You know — the way people developed relationships in the good old days of the former millennium. The only problem? The kids today don’t know how to […]| The Art of Manliness
Tips on how to comfort someone who’s sad, so you can help them in their time of need and be a better son, friend, and husband/boyfriend.| The Art of Manliness
The ability to ask good open-ended questions is important for small talk with both strangers and old acquaintances alike.| The Art of Manliness
Once someone has approached you, how do you actually begin engaging in small talk and how do you build the conversation from there?| The Art of Manliness
Note: Sinclair Lewis once said that one of the “two insults no human will endure” is “the assertion that he has no sense of humor” (the other is the “assertion that he has never known trouble”). Why is saying someone lacks a sense of humor such a damning indictment? Why do we like to think […]| The Art of Manliness
How do you engender positive feelings in others when interacting with them? By acting as a host, and presenting them with 4 social gifts.| The Art of Manliness
Today’s question for consideration for our Social Briefing is this: Do others see you differently than you see yourself?| The Art of Manliness
Are your old patterns of social behavior still working for you? A lot of how we learn to interact with others develops in our youth.| The Art of Manliness
In every age, and every culture around the world, part of achieving manhood required gaining competence in the skills that amassed resources for one’s tribe, enhanced personal status, and led to reproductive success. In primitive times, this set of skills largely fell into the “hard” category — abilities that allowed a man to hunt food […]| The Art of Manliness
Discover the key to a happy and healthy life: social fitness. Learn how good relationships can improve your overall well-being.| The Art of Manliness
Understanding mental distortions: How our egocentricity affects our perceptions of others and can create a mismatch in social interactions.| The Art of Manliness
Learn how to overcome social discoordination and maintain strong friendships in adulthood. Discover the importance of face-to-face interaction.| The Art of Manliness
If making small talk makes someone anxious, it may just be because they have a fear of such interactions, and my guest today, Rich Gallagher, can help them overcome it through his practice as a therapist. Or, someone’s anxiety around small talk can be based in part on simply not knowing how to do it, […]| The Art of Manliness