On the surface, everything seems normal: A stable job, family, and sometimes even more free time after the children have left home. But beneath the surface, a much more complex reality emerges. A new survey indicates that for many men aged 50 to 70, a sense of emptiness, loneliness, and lack of fulfillment becomes an inseparable part of daily routine.
The most prominent figure is the sense of missed opportunity: About 63% of men report that they are not realizing their potential, with one in five experiencing this frequently. This is a deep and ongoing feeling precisely at a stage when many expected to reach stability and satisfaction.
Alongside this, about 59% of men report a decline in joy of life and about half note a decrease in sexual desire. These figures reflect a broad impact on the sense of vitality, energy, and quality of life. In addition, about 22% report a feeling of distress or worry that appears often.
One of the most worrying findings is the sense of loneliness: About 45% of men testify that they experience loneliness, and about 40% indicate a decline in self-confidence. This is a deep emotional pattern of withdrawal and distancing, alongside a lack of support systems.
When comparing men and women, a significant gap becomes clearer. Women do identify the difficulties in their partners, but at a lower intensity. For example, fewer women believe that their partners are not realizing themselves, compared to a much higher rate among the men themselves. This gap indicates that male distress is sometimes hidden from view.
The survey also shows that this is not a temporary phenomenon or a response to specific events, but rather an ongoing pattern. A similar survey conducted in the past presented an almost identical picture, strengthening the understanding that this is a widespread and silent phenomenon.
The Hinenu community comes to provide a response to some of these problems. It is a social-community initiative, established at the beginning of 2025 by the social entrepreneur Moshe Bar Zvi, together with a group of professionals from the fields of therapy, society, and community, based on an insight revealed in studies: Too many live with a sense of missed opportunity, settle for “mediocre” lives and give up, sometimes without noticing, on the possibility of fuller, more loving and more meaningful lives.
“Behind the results of this survey, a deep and worrying reality is revealed of what we call ‘the silence of men’,” says Bar Zvi. “This is exactly the same silence that hides real distress. Men aged 50 and above are sometimes at a stage where from the outside everything seems stable – Career, family, life framework but inside many of them experience emptiness, lack of fulfillment and loneliness”.
Hinenu operates to change this reality, and serves as a community for development and opening the heart, through practical tools, professional guidance and a supportive community, whose goal is to help people return to the beating heart of their relationships with themselves, with their partners, and with their environment.
As part of its activity, the community holds intensive activity of men’s circles, alongside women’s circles and couples’ circles, which allow open dialogue, mutual support and deep human connection, alongside a broad response from a variety of therapists operating in the community within the framework of the “365 degrees” concept, a holistic approach that encompasses all aspects of life.
The message emerging from the data is clear: Behind the daily functioning of many men, there is distress that does not always receive expression. Raising awareness and providing emotional tools may be a first step on the way to change.