Listen up guys and gals, I have to make a public service announcement for anyone who’s in a relationship right now.
If you’re currently in a fully committed relationship with a man, or maybe you’ve only just started seeing them and are in that ‘what are we’ phase, you might want to pay attention to what I’m about to tell you.
Because a recent study has found that young men get more emotional satisfaction out of bromances than they do out of romantic relationships. Yikes.
The study, published in Men and Masculinities, wanted to find out how much bromances mattered in comparison to romantic relationships in the 21st century.
And apparently, the answer was ‘a lot’ because the 30 heterosexual males they interviewed mostly determined that a bromance offered them more – in terms of emotional disclosure, social fulfilment, and conflict resolution – than the lives they shared with their girlfriends.
Sorry girls, it looks like we’re gonna have to take a back seat with this one as it doesn’t look like we’re about to win them over anytime soon. You only have to look at the celebrity bromances of Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, Obama and Joe Biden, and Ant and Dec to know that we’re screwed.
PAAnd to be honest with you, I’m not even bothered. Look how happy they are and tell me that you don’t want your boyfriend to have a bromance like that!
As reported by TIME, the authors of the study say it’s largely a good thing that intimate male friendships have become more socially acceptable in recent years. However, they warn that the shift could lead to weaker bonds among couples.
The study itself comprised of 30 heterosexual men who were second-year college students and had been in a relationship before, or were currently. It’s at this point I’d advise you to take it with a pinch of salt because its reach is fairly limited.
Every man studied had at least one ‘bromantic’ friend which they reported sharing secrets with, expressing love to, or sleeping in the same bed with at some time or another. It was because of this that the authors wanted to compare these relationships to their romantic ones.
And the results were eye-opening to say the least. Overall, the men said they felt less judged than their close male friends than by their girlfriends, and found it easier to overcome conflicts, share their emotions, and discuss sensitive health information with them than with their romantic partners.
Wow, it’s not a good day for us gals is it? Getting called judgey and being told we’re not easy to talk to about important matters all in one day. Jeez, give a girl a break will ya?
One participant said:
Lovers are temporary. A bromance can last a lifetime.
Which, when you think about it, is just a nicer way to say bros before hoes really, isn’t it.
Now if you’ll just excuse me while I make sure my boyfriend isn’t secretly messaging Hugh Jackman…
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A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).