While traditionally, women are known to be more romantic than men, a new study has flipped that script. Yes, that’s true! A major study published in Behavioral and Brain Sciences, shows that men crave steady love more deeply, gain bigger health boosts from relationships, and hate breakups more than women do. They seek partners harder because romance fills emotional gaps that women often meet through friends. Let’s take a closer look… (image: unsplash)Why men chase love moreMany people think women dream of weddings, while men just play the field, but science says otherwise. Men expect more from relationships, so they work harder to find, and keep one. Surveys show that single men suffer worse mental and physical health than married ones, unlike women who stay steady without a partner, owing to their closer parental, sibling, and friendship bonds.Researchers from Humboldt University, the University of Minnesota, and Vrije University studied over 50 papers on couples. They found that men start relationships with higher hopes and fight harder to maintain them. Men rarely dump partners first, and they hurt deeper when relationships end.This drive starts young. Boys face pressure to hide feelings, so they save emotions for one person-their love. Women share sadness freely with family and friends, so they need romance less urgently, since that void can be filled by other relationships in life.Society shapes men’s romanceRight from childhood, people call boys “too sensitive”, and they lose friends, while girls get praise for showing tears. Parents use feeling words more often with daughters. Grown men skip deep talks with guy friends about heartbreak; instead, they turn to wives or girlfriends.Iris Wahring, a co-author of the study, explains that men lack strong support networks. Romance becomes their safe emotional space. On the other hand, women lean on sisters or close pals, so partners rank lower in their emotional needs. This makes men hold tighter in love.Even lifespan data proves it-men in steady pairs live longer because romance heals them more.Men fall fast and stay loyalMen fall in love about a month quicker than women, according to another study. They obsess more in the early stages. Women take longer to commit, spotting red flags along the way.In romance books, 63% of male fans call themselves die-hard romantics, beating women’s 60%. Even when it comes to reading, men read 364 hours yearly, compared to women’s 312 hours. On the other hand, breakups crush men worse in the long run. They start rebounds fast, but pine longer inside. Women heal faster through chats with friends, healing, therapy, and spending time with family.Women get tagged as the romanticsMovies and books paint men as players and women as emotional saps, but the truth flips this script. Society often misses men’s soft side because they show it in private.Dads often bond through play, while moms bond through hugs. But men pour their heart into one deep bond, not many shallow ones.Health benefits of men being in loveSteady love drops men’s stress levels and boosts immunity. On the other hand, single men face sharp spikes in depression. Women, on the opposite end, cope better alone.Heart health improves most for men in happy pairs. Romance acts like medicine for them.Tips for couples to balance romanceMen should open up to friends too, lightening the emotional load on their partner. This should start in childhood itself, as boys should be taught to express their feelings ‘freely’ without thinking about gender biases.Both partners should talk about feelings early. Men crave praise for their romantic efforts, even if it does not seem like it.Keep dating like day one. Men loved to be pampered even if they might not say it, so plan that vacation with him.
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