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1. He proudly holds your hand in public. An actual bear will grumble and say his paws are too big, or give any other excuse not to be seen in broad daylight as your official bearfriend. But a grown ass man will happily take your hand and make you feel adored, even when it’s hot out and the sweat makes him a little grumps.

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2. He doesn’t randomly disappear off the face of the earth. Actual bears will all of a sudden hibernate for long stretches of time, making you feel like a crazy person for sending multiple worried texts. And when you say you don’t like not hearing from them for three days, they tell you you’re too clingy. A grown ass man won’t just ghost for weird periods of time; if he’s busy, he’ll always find two seconds to let you know what’s up.

Getty/Julia Pugachevsky

3. He takes you on thoughtful dates away from his cave. An actual bear loves the dark, vaguely musty vibe of his bedroom, and doesn’t particularly want to leave. It’s pretty easy to feel disposable while watching him play World of Furcraft wearing sweatpants he hasn’t washed in days. A grown ass man will clear his schedule so he can take you out on the dates you deserve.



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4. He never gets grizzly with you. An actual bear will expose his teeth in a fight and get real ugly in an argument, even small ones, like how you’re not the biggest fan of his salmon shorts. A grown ass man will be aware of how off-putting temper tantrums are, and will always choose to resolve conflict peacefully. With him, neither of you ever has to have your claws up.

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5. He doesn’t make your best friends "worried" about you. When meeting an actual bear, your closest human buddies might react in a variety of ways, from “hmm I don’t know, something feels off” to “he’s kinda polar(bear)izing” to “aaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!”. A grown ass man will not only make your friends feel assured that you’re with someone great; he’ll be so fun that they’ll actually ask you to bring him around more. The more the bearier!



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6. He doesn’t bare his teeth around other bears. Actual bears get territorial and suddenly get very attentive when there’s a possibility that another bear finds you alluring. A grown ass man isn’t threatened by anyone else. More importantly, he’d never make you feel threatened or like you can’t have friends who are also bears/other dudes. He absolutely trusts you, without a shadow of a snout.



Getty/Julia Pugachevsky

7. He sees you as a real person. An actual bear will focus on all the ways you’re different, like your flaws/lack of bear claws. He won’t stop to think that you are only human, and that comparing you and your unique experiences to his isn’t very fair. Grown ass men can easily note the differences between you and them, and are wise enough to know that the best love comes from compawmise.

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Julia Pugachevsky Sex and Relationships Editor I'm a Sex and Relationships Editor for Cosmo's Snapchat Discover, which you should definitely subscribe to :).

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