To no surprise, a study published in the Journal of Men & Masculinities confirms that men are more satisfied in a “bromance” than they are in romantic relationships.
Close male companionship has become more accepted after a period of suppression in the second half of the 20th century. Gone are the shackles of homophobic sentiments and old-world ideals about what masculinity should look like. Today, bromances are cool again, somewhat in part to high-profile celebrity examples such as Barack Obama and Joe Biden, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, George Clooney and Brad Pitt, Ryan Reynolds and Jake Gyllenhaal, as well as our very own Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis.
The study surveyed 30 heterosexual men who were second-year college students that’d been in a relationship previously. The homogeneous sample group were all straight college students – all but one was white – and had sports-related majors.
While acknowledging the hypothesis needs further research, the authors have initially concluded that all participants had at least one “bromantic” friend – with whom they shared secrets, expressed love for, or slept in the same bed with at some point or another:
“On balance, they argued that bromantic relationships were more satisfying in their emotional intimacy, compared to their heterosexual romances.”
Of the 30 men, 28 of them also said they would prefer to discuss personal matters with a bromance than a romance. “Lovers are temporary,” one study participant said during his interview. “A bromance can last a lifetime.”
And there you have it.
