Male bonding is a term that is used in ethology

Ethology

Ethology is the scientific study of animal behavior, and a sub-topic of zoology....

, social science, and in general usage to describe patterns of friendship

Friendship

Friendship is a form of interpersonal relationship generally considered to be closer than association, although there is a range of degrees of intimacy in both friendships and associations. Friendship and association are often thought of as spanning across the same continuum...

 and/or cooperation in men (or, in the case of ethology, males of various species). The exact meaning of the term differs across contexts.

In the context of human relationships, male bonding is used to describe friendship between men, or the way in which men befriend each other. The expression is sometimes used synonymously with the word camaraderie. Friendships among men are often primarily based on shared activities, instead of emotional sharing (which is common of women's friendships). This can include playing video games, musical instruments, shopping

Shopping

Shopping is the examining of goods or services from retailers with the intent to purchase at that time. Shopping is an activity of selection and/or purchase. In some contexts it is considered a leisure activity as well as an economic one....

, sport

Sport

A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...

ing activities, fishing

Fishing

Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....

, hunting

Hunting

Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...

, camping

Camping

Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...

, gambling

Gambling

Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...

, social drinking

Drinking

Drinking is the act of consuming water or a beverage through the mouth. Water is required for many of life’s physiological processes. Both excessive and inadequate water intake are associated with health problems.-Physiology:...

, or working with tools. The first widely-noticed use of the term was in Men in Groups (1969; 2004) by anthropologist Lionel Tiger

Lionel Tiger

Lionel Tiger is a Canadian-born, American-based anthropologist. He is the Charles Darwin Professor of Anthropology at Rutgers University and co-Research Director of the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation. He is a graduate of McGill University, and the London School of Economics at the University of...

.

See also

• Bachelor band
• Bromance
  Bromance
  A bromance is a close but non-sexual relationship between two men, a form of homosocial intimacy.-Etymology:Bromance is a portmanteau of the words bro or brother and romance...
  
  
• Female bonding
  Female bonding
  Female bonding is the formation of a close personal relationship between women. Female bonding is a term that is used in ethology, social science, and in general usage to describe patterns of friendship, attachment, and cooperation in women; or in the case of ethology, associations between females...
  
  
• Homosociality
  Homosociality
  In sociology, homosociality describes same-sex relationships that are not of a romantic or sexual nature, such as friendship, mentorship, or others. The opposite of homosocial is heterosocial, preferring non-sexual relations with the opposite sex...
  
  
• Human bonding
  Human bonding
  Human bonding is the process of development of a close, interpersonal relationship. It most commonly takes place between family members or friends, but can also develop among groups such as sporting teams and whenever people spend time together...
  
  
• Man cave
  Man cave
  A man cave, sometimes a mantuary or manspace, is a male sanctuary, such as a specially equipped garage, spare bedroom, media room, den, or basement...
  
  
• Masculine psychology
  Masculine psychology
  Masculine psychology is a term sometimes used to describe and categorize issues concerning the gender-related psychology of male human identity, as well as the issues that men confront during their lives...
  
  
• Men's spaces
  Men's spaces
  Men's spaces are separate social and cultural spaces, roles and norms available to men in some non-westernized societies. It is the membership of these spaces that determines a male's manhood, while failing to get a membership of this space amounts to being denied manhood, and to be liable to...
  
  

Further reading

• Brehm, S.S., Miller, R.S., Perlman, D. & Campbell, S.M. (1992). Intimate relationships. Third edition, chapter 7: paragraph about "gender differences in same-sex friendships", pp. 212–213.
• Fanning, Patrick & McKay, Matthew. (1993). Being a friend: Making and keeping male friends. In Being a man: A guide to the new masculinity (pp. 108–125). Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications, Inc.
• Garfinkel, Perry. (1992). "In a man's world: Father, son, brother, friend, and other roles men play." Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press.
• Miller, Stuart. (1986). "Men & friendship." Bath, England: Gateway Books.
• Nardi, Peter. (1999). Gay Men's Friendships: Invincible Communities. U. of Chicago Press.
• Nardi, Peter. (1992). "Men's friendships" (Research on men and masculinities series). Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.
• Pasick, Robert S. (1990). Friendship between men. In Meth, Richard L., Pasick, Robert S., et al., Men in therapy: The challenge of change (pp. 108–127). New York: The Guilford Press.
• Pasick, Robert S. (1992). Staying awake: The importance of friendship. In Awakening from the deep sleep: A powerful guide for courageous men (pp. 222–244). San Francisco, CA: HarperSanFrancisco (A division of HarperCollins, Publishers).
• Wrangham, R. & Peterson, D. (1996). Demonic Males: Apes and the Origins of Human Violence
  Demonic Males: Apes and the Origins of Human Violence
  Is a 1997 book by Richard Wrangham and Dale Peterson examining the evolutionary factors leading to human violence.-External links:Is a 1997 book by Richard Wrangham and Dale Peterson examining the evolutionary factors leading to human violence....
  
  . London: Bloomsbury Publishing.
• Lionel Tiger, Men in Groups, Random House 1969; Transaction, 2004
• Potvin, John. (2008) Material and Visual Cultures Beyond Male Bonding, 1870–1914. Hampshire England, Ashgate Publishing Limited