Lifestyle · 4 March 2026
Psychologist: Men's insults are a misunderstood language of intimacy.
Photo by Donovan Grabowski on Unsplash
Behavioural psychologist Jo Hemmings says male banter involving rude nicknames is widely misunderstood and is actually a coded form of intimacy. Research commissioned by Foster's found 59% of men express affection through slang and insults, while 25% say they have lost more than half their friends in the past five years and 61% feel awkward trying to reconnect. Hemmings explained that for many men, humour is the socially acceptable language of closeness, with mock insults functioning as a form of inclusion rather than aggression.
Reported by Surrey Live · How we write briefs