Girlfriends and wives who get too friendly with their fella's pals could cause him to have problems in the sack. According to new research published in the American Journal of Sociology, this phenonmenon called "partner betweenness" causes some men to suffer from erectile dysfunction.
The research is based on a 2005 study which surveyed 3,005 men, 57 to 85 years old. Since guys tend to rely on their male friendships to fuel their sense of masculinity, ladies can threaten those macho feelings when they bust in on bromances.
This association was strongest in men ages 57 to 64. Even the healthiest ones who didn't suffer from common ailments like diabetes or obesity reported having intimacy issues when their female partners got too close to their friends.
"This is when people are retiring, leaving the work force, reorganizing their life," says study author Edward Laumann. "This is very threatening to a male's understanding of himself."
However, once men become septuagenerians and octogenerians, partner betweeness becomes less of a problem. They focus more on kin-oriented relationships and adopt new definitions of masculinity.
Source: Time, Photo: gratsy
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partner betweenness,
masculinity,
erectile dysfunction
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Men's health