The emerging science of bromosexual friendships

[TexasTowelie]

For a long time, friendships between gay men and straight men – what some now call “bromosexual” friendships – were uncommon. Homophobia was likely one reason; another was that straight men probably assumed didn’t they have much in common with gay men.

But lately, “bromosexual” friendships have started to receive more attention, acceptance and interest. They’re being explored and depicted in movies, books and blogs. In October, The New York Times even devoted an article in their Style section to “The Rise of the ‘Bromosexual’ Friendship.”

This sort of normalization is good news. But social scientists still haven’t studied the dynamics of these friendships: why they develop and how they’re maintained.

We’re part of a team of community, evolutionary and social psychologists that has recently begun a research program with the goal of studying this very topic. Specifically, we’re interested in looking at the reasons gay men and straight men become friends (or remain friends after the gay friend comes out). We currently have a survey investigation underway that explores some of the positive outcomes of “bromosexual” friendships, including our theory that gay men and straight men can be optimal wing men for one another.

Read more: https://theconversation.com/the-emerging-science-of-bromosexual-friendships-67220?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

[irisblue]

1. Jonathan Kellerman has a long running series

of mysteries with Alex Delaware and Milo Sturgis. Delaware is a child psychologist, Sturgis is a police detective, it is set in L.A. and has been around since the early-mid 80s.

[safeinOhio]

2. I owe a lot to my gay friends.

I dress better, eat better and decorate better. Life is just so much better with these friends. In return I have loaned out my SLK.

[Nitram]

3. I call bullshit on this being something new.

I'm a straight heterosexual male. Always have been. I've had gay male friends since 1971.

[RKP5637]

4. I've had all kinds of friends, never ever thinking about their sexual orientation.

Like I didn't care.

[burrowowl]

5. Interesting

[Fearless]

6. It may be newly focused on in pop culture and research

But it isn't new. I'm a gay man. I've had straight friends for my entire life. Gay friends too. Friendship is based on mutual interests. Straight-gay friendships were at a time seen as holding a stigma for the straight person, a societal pressure to shun the gay person. This is no longer true, so you see more of it outwardly, particularly as people in general are more attuned to looking for it. But, it has always been there. Nothing new here at all.