<p>It’s a recent phenomenon, the bromance. More specifically, the word, as well as similar ones –man crush, for example-is a new development used to describe an intimate but non-sexual relationship between two men. A combination of the words “brother” and “romance,” it was coined in the 1990s by the editor of a skateboard magazine to refer to the relationship between skaters who spend a lot of time together. Of course, this concept has been around since Aristotle, who openly extolled close relationships between men. Expert research has shown, however, that it is within the last few generations, raised by feminists, that men are more expressive and emotionally open, leading to deeper same-sex friendships without a fear of being identified as gay. Popular culture in the recent years has played with the idea of the “bromance,” highlighting it in several television shows and movies. The Judd Apatow films have a tendency-which has been criticized by some-to neglect the female characters in favor of the relationships between the men. In television shows like “House” and the much older “The Odd Couple,” the entire focus of the show is between the two male leads. Bromance is a new word, but they’ve been around for a long time.</p>