@article{ref1,
title="The Bromance: Undergraduate Male Friendships and the Expansion of Contemporary Homosocial Boundaries",
journal="Sex roles",
year="2018",
author="Robinson, S. and Anderson, E. and White, A.",
volume="78",
number="1-2",
pages="94-106",
abstract="The present study provides the first known qualitative examination of heterosexual undergraduate men's conceptualization and experiences of the bromance, outside research on cinematic representations. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 30 undergraduate men enrolled in one of four undergraduate sport-degree programs at one university in the United Kingdom, we find these heterosexual men to be less reliant on traditional homosocial boundaries, which have previously limited male same-sex friendships. Contrary to the repressive homosociality of the 1980s and 1990s, these men embrace a significantly more inclusive, tactile, and emotionally diverse approach to their homosocial relationships. All participants provided comparable definitions of what a bromance is and how it operates, all had at least one bromantic friend, and all suggested that bromances had more to offer than a standard friendship. Participants described a bromance as being more emotionally intimate, physically demonstrative, and based upon unrivalled trust and cohesion compared to their other friendships. Participants used their experiences with romances and familial relations as a reference point for considering the conditions of a bromance. <br><br>RESULTS support the view that declining homophobia and its internalization has had significantly positive implications for male expression and intimacy. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS are made about the bromance's potential to improve men's mental health and social well-being because participants indicate these relationships provide a space for emotional disclosure and the discussion of potentially traumatic and sensitive issues. © 2017, Springer Science+Business Media New York.<p /><p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0360-0025",
doi="10.1007/s11199-017-0768-5",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11199-017-0768-5"
}