Men's friendships are less emotionally intimate than women's friendships.

Is it true that Men's friendships are less emotionally intimate than women's friendships?

Unclear. Two peer-reviewed items report gender differences in friendship style consistent with the claim that men's friendships are less emotionally intimate, but one notes the differences are small and diminish with friendship strength, and the other only reports the suggestion that women focus on intimate relations while men build larger networks. No retrieved item settles the claim at full strength.

Verdict: PARTIAL LEAN · 3 sources for, 0 against · Last checked 2 Oct 2026

The private library was unavailable for some searches in this check. Missing library results are not evidence against the claim.

H., W. P. (1982). Men's Friendships, Women's Friendships and the Alleged Inferiority of the Latter.. eric.ed.gov. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ258874

A., S. L. (1988). Gender and Friendships: Hers and His, Same-Sex and Cross-Sex.. eric.ed.gov. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED303707

David-Barrett, T., Rotkirch, A., Carney, J., Izquierdo, I. B., Krems, J. A., & Townley, D. (2015). Women Favour Dyadic Relationships, but Men Prefer Clubs: Cross-Cultural Evidence from Social Networking. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0118329