"Bromance" or the close friendship between two men can help improve their health. A new study shows that there are various benefits brought about by this close companionship.

Research by Stanford University determines that there are benefits to strong male friendships. A bond between two men may not be so different compared to women after all.

Research published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology used rats as the test subjects. Rats are similar to humans when it comes to socializing with other people. They get stressed, show signs of empathy and interact similarly to humans.

For the study, lead investigator Elizabeth Kirby exposed the rat models to stress by restraining them in tubes for a couple of hours. They were put back together after the researchers studied the rats. Here are some benefits that Kirby and her colleagues found that could prove to also be beneficial for humans:

1.) Less Competitive

While rats are normally competitive towards one another, especially when it comes to food and water, they were less competitive and shared more after they had been exposed to stress. Discovery News notes that they even shared water with one another after being restrained for a couple of hours.

"The cagemates who had the mild stressor did not show this behavior at all. After taking away their water and bringing it back, they shared it very evenly and without any pushing and shoving. It was very civil," the researchers wrote.

2.) Less Aggressive

In line with being less competitive, the rats were less aggressive, too.

3.) Less Stress & Anxiety

Another observation the researchers noted was that the rats had higher oxytocin in the brain, which means they were less stressed by being with each other. Healthy oxytocin levels can also reduce anxiety.

4.) Increased Bonding

With high levels of oxytocin in the brain brought about by mild stress, the rats were prone to cuddling, which results in increased bonding, including physical bonding.

"We think oxytocin, which is released after stress, is a way of bringing people closer in times of acute stress, which leads to more sharing, bonding and potentially better fear extinction and an increase in cognitive health," Sandra Muroy, another co-author of the study, said.

5.) Better Coping with Negative Experiences

Increased bond generally brought about the comfort of another being and dispelled the sense of loneliness among the subjects. This could also be observed among men who had bromances. Kirby said this is a "good thing" because it helps them "recover from a bad day."

"These rats are using their rat friendships to recover from what would otherwise be a negative experience. If rats can do it, men can do it too. And they definitely are, they just don't get as much credit in the research for that," she explained in a press release, as per Berkely News.

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