ABSTRACT
This chapter selectively considers evidence concerning the role that gender plays in the realization and expression of intimacy within social interaction. It provides a selective review of empirical evidence concerning sex differences in intimacy. The aim is to take a relatively broad perspective on sex differenees in intimacy and intimacy-related behavior, capturing both the robusiness with which sex differences have been demonstrated and the variety of distinct yet related phenomena that support similar conclusions. Thus, the male-female difference in same-sex interaction intimacy found in our research is reliable and substantial, and it is also among the largest sex differences reported in the literature. Evidence From Research on Related Phenomena Gender differences in intimacy and intimacy-related behaviors have been the subject of innumerable studies and many reviews. Thus, gender differences in social support provide further foundation for establishing the generality of sex differences in intimacy.
