How male friendships can survive without the pub Men aren’t staying in touch through lockdown like women – and it’s all evolution’s fault 6 February 2021 • 6:00am Men need physical closeness and an 'endorphin rush' to bond - and the pub is the ideal place Credit: E+/AleksandarGeorgiev The last time I saw my friends was August 2019, writes Simon Lewis. That feels like something you’d confess to a therapist. But are we that unusual? We’re old school friends, scattered around the country by jobs and family, so a beer every few months is perfectly normal and we never worried about missing one. Lockdown looked easy enough to ride out. You can always stay in touch by text, right?