Men find that platonic friendships with other men 'emotionally rival' their romantic relationships with women, according to a study in Men and Masculinities.

Those surveyed said that 'the lack of boundaries and judgment' in their friendships with other men resulted in 'elevated emotional stability, enhanced emotional disclosure, social fulfilment, and better conflict resolution, compared to the emotional lives they shared with girlfriends'.

The paper - entitled 'Privileging the Bromance: A Critical Appraisal of Romantic and Bromantic Relationships' and published by professors Stefan Robinson, Adam White and Eric Anderson of the University of Winchester - revealed that men feel more comfortable talking about private and emotional subjects with bromantic partners than romantic partners.

But before we go extrapolating these findings across all of mankind, it is worth pointing out this was a very limited study. Only 30 men were surveyed, all of which were heterosexual second year university students in the US.



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Men find platonic male friendships more emotionally fulfilling than romantic relationships with women. Credit: PA

That said, the findings were fairly unanimous. Every participant said they had a 'bromantic' friend with whom there were no boundaries. Indeed, 29 of those surveyed said they had 'cuddled with' a bromantic friend, according to 9GAG.

One of the participants noted: "I think most guys in bromances cuddle... It's not a sexual thing, either. It shows you care."

Another summarised: "Lovers are temporary. A bromance can last a lifetime."

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One respondent said that 'lover are temporary' but 'a bromance can last a lifetime'. Credit: PA

Most of the participants answers to the survey also made reference to the fact they felt more like they could be their real self with their bros.

As one respondent said: "Tim knows I love listening to Taylor Swift and Beyoncé, but I keep that quiet [around my girlfriend] because she would judge me. I feel like I have to be more manly around her."

Another reason those surveyed felt closer to their male friends was that their arguments tended to be less intense than those with their partners.

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The survey authors noted that 'the participants overwhelmingly stated that arguments with girlfriends were more intense, trivial, and long-lasting in comparison to their bromances'.

Participants also indicated they would prefer to discuss private matters with their bros.