Episode 331: The Surprising Intimacy of Bromances

“Bromance” is a term that is often used to describe close friendships between men. These relationships contain elements of emotional intimacy, but physical intimacy may occur as well, such as cuddling. Sometimes there’s even a sexual component, such as when two male friends participate in a threesome together. In today’s show, we’re going to discuss the psychology behind bromances. We’ll also talk about why a lot of men struggle when it comes to being vulnerable with their friends.

I am joined once again by Mark McCormack, a Professor of Sociology at Aston University. His research examines how social trends related to gender and sexuality map onto everyday experiences of individuals. To date, he has published more than 80 scientific works.

Some of the specific questions we answer in this episode include:

• What does it really mean to have a bromance? What do these relationships look like?
• Why do a lot of heterosexual men find it difficult to open up to their male friends?
• How common is physical intimacy in bromances?
• What are bromances like among men who identify as something other than heterosexual?

You can click here to connect with Mark on Twitter/X.

Got a sex question? Send me a podcast voicemail to have it answered on a future episode at speakpipe.com/sexandpsychology.

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Credits: Precision Podcasting (Podcast editing) and Shutterstock/Florian (Music). Image created with Canva; photos used with permission of guest.