Young men feel ‘bromances,’ – love and affection shared by two straight male-friends – more emotionally satisfying than romantic relationships with their women.
The study published by Robinson et al. in Men and Masculinities.
The researchers interviewed 30 undergraduate straight men and found that whatever they were doing together – going to the football match, traveling, or just helping each other with their craft – the men felt less judged by their close male friends than by their girlfriends.
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That explains why it was easier for them to overcome conflicts and express their emotions in their bromances than in their romances.
Although bromances used to be considered lacking in many of the qualities seen in close female friendships emotionally and intimacy, the study found quite the opposite.
It easier for men to solve conflicts and speak openly about their emotions in their bromances.
In recent years young men ‘openly pronounce love’ to their male friends. In previous years, partly out of fear of appearing gay that behavior would be socially prohibited
The authors say that the rise in strong friendships can be recognized as a progressive development in the relations between men, but they also warn that this progress may negatively affect heterosexual relations.
The study suggested that strong bromances could challenge traditional domestic living arrangements between men and women.
The authors said the tensions of the men friendship vs. romance dynamic against a backdrop of decreasing sexual liberalism, homophobia, and inclusive masculinity.
