Although friendship may feel like a delicate art, it's also a kind of science that's rewarded by the numbers. We all need friends — study after study has found that having a robust social network, including regular time spent with close friends, is essential to living a longer, happier and healthier life. But for men, in particular, the fear of burdening others or seeming emotionally needy can stand in the way of building new friendships.

So how can we build a more robust and rewarding social network, if it's something we need? The first step is recognizing that bonding with new friends, especially as a parent, is very different from bonding with guys in high school, where the years of shared experiences are the glue.

Different friendships provide us with different things — but even building a simple connection over a shared interest can change our lives for the better.