Men are more dependent on committed relationships than women, new study shows
by Jessie Tu | 14 hours ago
LINK | ARCHIVE
Men place more importance on finding a long-term partner and rely more heavily on romantic relationships than women, a new study from Amsterdam has found.
According to the forthcoming study published in the journal Behavioral and Brain Sciences, researchers found that men are more dependent on being in stable, committed relationships than women.
One reason posited by one of the study’s authors, Paul van Lange, is that many men rely on their female partners to manage practical household responsibilities. Men also tend to have higher sexual needs, according to van Lange, which are more likely to be fulfilled within a committed relationship.
Another reason why relationships hold greater significance for men than women could be that men find it easier to exhibit emotional vulnerability only within the context of a romantic partnership, whereas women can often easily express emotional vulnerability more broadly, and across multiple contexts, such as with friends, family, colleagues, and thereby minimising their reliance on a single partner.
“Our society emphasises that boys should be less emotionally expressive,” Van Lange said. This social conditioning means that men tend to rely more heavily on just one intimate partner for their emotional connection.
Along with his colleagues Iris Wahring and Jeffry Simpson, van Lange, a psychology professor at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, reviewed a range of scientific literature on gender differences in heterosexual relationships to find also that women initiate separations more often than men. In fact, the research found that 70 per cent of divorces are instigated by women.
“Men often feel lonelier after a breakup, while women more frequently report a sense of relief,” Van Lange said, adding that the disparity of needs also extends to health outcomes.
“Men’s life expectancy is more closely linked to having a committed relationship than women’s,” Van Lange said. “We’re seeing a shift toward smaller differences between men and women.”
Another recent study from the US found that a correlation between a man’s intelligence level and his degree of relationship investment within a romantic relationship.
by Jessie Tu | 14 hours ago
LINK | ARCHIVE
Men place more importance on finding a long-term partner and rely more heavily on romantic relationships than women, a new study from Amsterdam has found.
According to the forthcoming study published in the journal Behavioral and Brain Sciences, researchers found that men are more dependent on being in stable, committed relationships than women.
One reason posited by one of the study’s authors, Paul van Lange, is that many men rely on their female partners to manage practical household responsibilities. Men also tend to have higher sexual needs, according to van Lange, which are more likely to be fulfilled within a committed relationship.
Another reason why relationships hold greater significance for men than women could be that men find it easier to exhibit emotional vulnerability only within the context of a romantic partnership, whereas women can often easily express emotional vulnerability more broadly, and across multiple contexts, such as with friends, family, colleagues, and thereby minimising their reliance on a single partner.
“Our society emphasises that boys should be less emotionally expressive,” Van Lange said. This social conditioning means that men tend to rely more heavily on just one intimate partner for their emotional connection.
Along with his colleagues Iris Wahring and Jeffry Simpson, van Lange, a psychology professor at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, reviewed a range of scientific literature on gender differences in heterosexual relationships to find also that women initiate separations more often than men. In fact, the research found that 70 per cent of divorces are instigated by women.
“Men often feel lonelier after a breakup, while women more frequently report a sense of relief,” Van Lange said, adding that the disparity of needs also extends to health outcomes.
“Men’s life expectancy is more closely linked to having a committed relationship than women’s,” Van Lange said. “We’re seeing a shift toward smaller differences between men and women.”
Another recent study from the US found that a correlation between a man’s intelligence level and his degree of relationship investment within a romantic relationship.
