Romance: Ego booster for guys!

Sydney, Sep 28 (UNI) Love can do wonders in one's life and boys should definitely give it a chance if they want to boost their self-esteem.

A study has found that being in a relationship boosts the self-respect of young men. The study into opposite sex friendships determined a hierarchy of relationships for young men in terms of their impact on self-esteem.

A romantic relationship with a woman topped the list, followed by female friendships and then friendships with other men.

''We know that men tend to feel better about themselves when their place in the social hierarchy is bolstered. Men are naturally more competitive and being in a relationship comes with a sense of social achievement.

A romantic partnership for men may also fulfil unmet intimacy needs,'' said researcher Simon Rice from Australian Catholic University. The PhD student conducted the preliminary study of 300 young people aged 18 to 25.

The study also found that romantic relationships had little impact on young women's self-esteem. Their intimacy needs were often met through their friendships with other women, Mr Rice said.

''Females will tend to have good social networks and good friendships where they can talk and feel supported,'' he added.

''Some males can't and won't ever have that because of this harsh, masculine stereotype,'' The Age quoted him as saying.

Mr Rice is presenting the findings from his study at the Australian Psychological Society's annual conference this week.

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