Blokes More Satisfied In A Bromance Than Romantic Relationships, Study Confirms
โ€” Updated on 17 June 2025

Blokes More Satisfied In A Bromance Than Romantic Relationships, Study Confirms

โ€” Updated on 17 June 2025
John McMahon
WORDS BY
John McMahon

To no surprise, a study published in the Journal of Men & Masculinities confirms that men are more satisfied in a โ€œbromanceโ€ 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, Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman, Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski, as well as our very own Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis.

The study surveyed 30 heterosexual men who were second-year college students thatโ€™d been in a relationship previously. The homogeneous sample group were all straight college students โ€“ all but one was white โ€“ and had sports-related majors.

While acknowledging the hypothesis needs further research, the authors have initially concluded that all participants had at least one โ€œbromanticโ€ friend โ€“ with whom they shared secrets, expressed love for, or slept in the same bed with at some point or another:

โ€œOn balance, they argued that bromantic relationships were more satisfying in their emotional intimacy, compared to their heterosexual romances.โ€

Of the 30 men, 28 of them also said they would prefer to discuss personal matters with a bromance than a romance. โ€œLovers are temporary,โ€ one study participant said during his interview. โ€œA bromance can last a lifetime.โ€

And there you have it.

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John McMahon
WORDS by
John McMahon is a founding member of the Boss Hunting team who honed his craft by managing content across website and social. Now, he's the publication's General Manager and specialises in bringing brands to life on the platform.

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