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The asymmetric structure of male-female bonding explains gender differences in relationship dependence

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 June 2026

Lorenza Lucchi Basili  and
Pier Luigi Sacco Open the ORCID record for Pier Luigi Sacco [Opens in a new window]
Lorenza Lucchi Basili
Affiliation:
Gender Strategies Center, Chieti, Italy lorenza.lucchi.basili@gmail.com
Pier Luigi Sacco*
Affiliation:
Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Studies, University of Chieti-Pescara, Italy and metaLAB (at) Harvard, Cambridge MA USA pierluigi.sacco@unich.it pierluigi_sacco@fas.harvard.edu
*
*Corresponding author.
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Abstract

Wahring et al. demonstrate that men depend more on romantic relationships than women, contradicting conventional wisdom. The Tie-Up Theory explains this through fundamental asymmetries in bonding systems: men’s receptive emotional area channels emotional needs primarily toward romantic partners, while women’s active emotional area enables spontaneous emotional connections across multiple relationships. This biobehavioral architecture, not mere socialization, explains men’s greater relationship striving, health benefits from partnership, reluctance to initiate breakups, and severe post-dissolution suffering.

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Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 49 , 2026 , e91
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2026. Published by Cambridge University Press

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