Thank you for your perspective. I'm sorry to hear about the abrupt change. A change like yours was somewhat what I was vaguely getting at with the suggestion th

Thank you for your perspective. I'm sorry to hear about the abrupt change. A change like yours was somewhat what I was vaguely getting at with the suggestion that things might change in the future (who can know for certain). Having "few" male friends is a risk factor (but not the problem itself), whereas the problem itself is the loneliness. I had a relationship fall apart in my early 20s after I'd moved across the U.S. for college. It wasn't marriage, but I had left all of my old friends 2 thousand miles away, and didn't establish new male friends. When the relationship fell apart, I was very very lonely. One would have thought that I would have learned a lesson to ensure that I maintain male friendships; not because I need them necessarily to avoid being lonely (because I'm not lonely, as indicated in my first post), but because it's a risk factor mitigation with no real downside. A follow up to some of the other comments: (a) Regarding moving out of country: Hopefully that's not a serious suggestion. That's simply not possible for a lot of people, nor is it desirable for many, and cross-cultural relationships (while very enriching and rewarding) bring their own challenges to the table (source: my marriage is multi-ethnic/cultural one), let alone cross-national, which has its own geo-political challenges. (b) Regarding moving out of country to find an appreciative woman/partner -- that's also missing the point; the point is not about a romantic relationship - the point is about loneliness. A romantic relationship is wonderful, and for some it can fully address any feelings of loneliness, but not for all. For those of us whose social needs are fully met by our romantic relationships - great for us! But we're at risk of loneliness should they evaporate. (c) Regarding a Therapist - yes, that can certainly help a relationship ending (any many other things), and I too recommend seeing one if you can, but it's also missing the point of the original post, as it's no substitution for actual friendship. @throwaway789738, feel free to reach out to me if you'd like to talk further. Twitter handle's in my HN profile. I'm not very active on Twitter, but I'll respond if I'm pinged.