The role of gender stereotypes in the social acceptability of the expression of intimacy

• We used an experiment and interviews to examine gender and intimacy.
• Participants evaluated a person expressing emotional intimacy.
• Men gave the most negative evaluations to the man being intimate.
• Men are reluctant to express intimacy because it suggests vulnerability.
• Men risk social rejection and are perceived as gay when they express intimacy.

This study explores the proposition that similar to the way that it is more acceptable for women than men to express traits that suggest vulnerability, such as loneliness or depression, it is also more acceptable for women to express emotional intimacy. Participants view an interaction between two men, two women, or a man and a woman, and evaluate the interpersonal attraction of the person expressing emotional intimacy. In Study 1, men gave the most negative evaluations to the man being intimate. In Study 2, thematic analysis of interview content suggests that participants hold gender stereotypes about intimacy and also that men frequently risk social rejection and may be perceived as gay when they engage in intimate expression, particularly when with other men. Overall, findings suggest that gender and related stereotypes have an observable role in the perceptions of an individual who is expressing intimacy.