Men need nights out with the lads, scientists say - Telegraph

According to the research, male bonding is more likely to lower a man's stress levels than a night out with his partner, or time spent with the family.

The researchers even discovered stress-related illnesses only seemed to occur among females or couples.

Males also look after each other, the study for the journal PNAS noted. While men may do this by watching each other's backs, for monkeys this means picking insects and fleas out of each other's fur.

Christopher Young of the university's Primate Social Evolution Group said: “"If male primates live in multimale groups they usually fight fiercely over access to females, but males can develop friendly relationships with a few group mates.

"Male macaques form social bonds similar to human friendships that buffer them against day-to-day stressors.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/11281213/Men-need-nights-out-with-the-lads-scientists-say.html