#202 - Slow Friendship

We live in a world of instant intimacy, but maybe the best friendships are the ones that take their time. This week, Karo and Matt explore the rise of “slow friendship,” discuss why oversharing isn’t the same as closeness, and debate whether letting trust build gradually can lead to deeper, more lasting relationships. Check out our new Audible Original THE BUDDY SYSTEM Watch this episode on YouTube! Get MOTY merch at manoftheyearpodcast.com Man of the Year on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok Matt Ritter on Instagram, TikTok, and X Aaron Karo on Instagram, TikTok, and X Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

When you go to a party where a host has put some thought into it, you feel it immediately and you feel great when you leave. What if we started putting just a tiny bit more thought into our hangs? We discuss how small tweaks can make it feel better than the normal routine that may be getting stale. Check out our new Audible Original THE BUDDY SYSTEM Watch this episode on YouTube! Get MOTY merch at manoftheyearpodcast.com Man of the Year on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok Matt Ritter on Instagram, TikTok, and X Aaron Karo on Instagram, TikTok, and X Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Karo and Matt are joined by returning champion Adam Pally to celebrate their 200th episode of Man of the Year! The guys chat about Hollywood, wellness, and working with friends. Stick around for the end when Adam roasts Karo for not casting him in the Tickle Me Elmo movie. Check out our new Audible Original THE BUDDY SYSTEM Watch this episode on YouTube! Get MOTY merch at manoftheyearpodcast.com Man of the Year on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok Matt Ritter on Instagram, TikTok, and X Aaron Karo on Instagram, TikTok, and X Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Karo and Matt have both recently returned from trips to London, which got them thinking about how friendship differs across the pond. They discuss why American friends tend to be more expressive, British friends tend to be more deeply-rooted, and how both qualities can be taken too far. Plus, what each country could learn from the other about being a better friend. Check out our new Audible Original THE BUDDY SYSTEM Watch this episode on YouTube! Get MOTY merch at manoftheyearpodcast.com Man of the Year on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok Matt Ritter on Instagram, TikTok, and X Aaron Karo on Instagram, TikTok, and X Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Does it seem like friendship is effortless or more present in your life in summer? It's because it is. Why? Because you're in a summer friendship mindset. This week we discuss how to carry that forward into the fall - through what we call the Sad Sixty, to avoid that lull. Check out our new Audible Original THE BUDDY SYSTEM Watch this episode on YouTube! Get MOTY merch at manoftheyearpodcast.com Man of the Year on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok Matt Ritter on Instagram, TikTok, and X Aaron Karo on Instagram, TikTok, and X Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

College graduation comes with plenty of advice about careers, money, and success, but almost none about how to build a life filled with strong friendships. Karo and Matt share the lessons they wish they'd known at 22, from making new friends after college to staying connected as life inevitably pulls people in different directions. Whether you're a recent grad or just looking for a friendship reset, this episode offers practical advice for building the kind of relationships that last. Check out our new Audible Original THE BUDDY SYSTEM Watch this episode on YouTube! Get MOTY merch at manoftheyearpodcast.com Man of the Year on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok Matt Ritter on Instagram, TikTok, and X Aaron Karo on Instagram, TikTok, and X Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Whatever happened to fun? Are you still having it with your friends? If so, great. Friendship doesn't stay fun by accident. In this episode, we talk about the small shifts that keep your relationships from becoming predictable and why the people you love deserve more than just dinner reservations and catching up. Check out our new Audible Original THE BUDDY SYSTEM Watch this episode on YouTube! Get MOTY merch at manoftheyearpodcast.com Man of the Year on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok Matt Ritter on Instagram, TikTok, and X Aaron Karo on Instagram, TikTok, and X Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What if the biggest influence on your spending isn't your job or your neighborhood, but your friends? Karo and Matt explore the hidden financial culture inside every friend group, from the one guy who always wants to make it rain to the one who can sniff out the best happy hour deal town. They also tackle one of friendship's biggest taboos: would knowing what your friends actually earn make your relationships stronger, or blow up the group chat? Check out our new Audible Original THE BUDDY SYSTEM Watch this episode on YouTube! Get MOTY merch at manoftheyearpodcast.com Man of the Year on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok Matt Ritter on Instagram, TikTok, and X Aaron Karo on Instagram, TikTok, and X Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

You've heard of Love Bombing, well now there's a new term...that we invented...called Friendship Bombing. Most of the same principles apply. We debate how to feel when someone comes in hot and heavy! Check out our new Audible Original THE BUDDY SYSTEM Watch this episode on YouTube! Get MOTY merch at manoftheyearpodcast.com Man of the Year on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok Matt Ritter on Instagram, TikTok, and X Aaron Karo on Instagram, TikTok, and X Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Have we reached peak friendship? Karo and Matt explore this idea on three levels: 1) the high-water mark of an individual friendship, 2) why research suggests most people have the largest social circles around age 25, and 3) whether friendship itself has peaked as a cultural force. Check out our new Audible Original THE BUDDY SYSTEM Watch this episode on YouTube! Get MOTY merch at manoftheyearpodcast.com Man of the Year on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok Matt Ritter on Instagram, TikTok, and X Aaron Karo on Instagram, TikTok, and X Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.