Hi. I’m Nick Gray.
I’m an introvert who figured out how to make friends.
That sounds like a bumper sticker, but it’s true. For most of my 20s, I was the guy standing in the corner at parties scrolling through my phone. I didn’t know how to start conversations. I didn’t know how to keep them going. And I definitely didn’t know how to turn small talk into real friendships.
So I started hosting my own events. They were small at first. Casual get-togethers in my NYC apartment with name tags and icebreakers. It felt dorky. But it worked. People connected and they kept coming back. And then they started bringing their friends.
Over the next decade, I hosted hundreds of events. I built a company called Museum Hack that grew into a multimillion-dollar business. All from connections I made at my own parties. I eventually sold the company and wrote a book about everything I’d learned.
The Book
The 2-Hour Cocktail Party is a step-by-step guide to hosting events that bring people together. It covers everything from the invite to the icebreakers to the follow-up. James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, said this about it:
“A must read for anyone who wants to host a great event. Practical, actionable, and useful. Nick is the master of making friends and hosting events.”
The book has helped thousands of people throw their first party. Many of them told me it changed their social lives. That’s what I care about most.
Why I Built This Site
I started tracking the friendship recession because I kept seeing the same pattern. Great articles about declining friendships would pop up in the New York Times, The Guardian, PBS, Vox. And then they’d disappear into the internet.
Nobody was connecting the dots. Nobody had one place where you could see all the research, all the data, all the personal stories about this crisis.
So I made one.
This site is a growing collection of everything I can find about the friendship recession. Original articles I’ve written. Curated pieces from top journalists and researchers. Statistics and studies. And practical advice for anyone who wants more friends in their life.
Featured In
My work on friendship and social connection has been featured mostly through the lens of Museum Hack. That includes highlights in TEDx, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Newsweek, The Washington Post, USA Today, Bloomberg, PBS NewsHour, Forbes, and dozens of other outlets. My videos have been viewed over 55 million times. And my newsletter reaches 20,000+ subscribers who care about building better friendships.
What You’ll Find Here
- Research and Statistics — Data-driven articles about the state of friendship in America and around the world.
- Making Friends — Practical guides for adults who want to build new connections.
- Men’s Friendships — A closer look at the male friendship crisis and what men can do about it.
- Resources — A curated collection of 50+ articles from top publications, organized by topic.
Get in Touch
I love hearing from readers. Email me at hello@nickgray.net. You can also find me on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
For more about my other projects, visit my personal website at nickgray.net.