Intimacy is often confused with sex. The truth is people can be sexual without being intimate. Broadly speaking intimacy means deeply knowing someone, while also feeling deeply known you. It is more difficult for men to express that they need intimacy but that doesn’t mean they do not need or want it.
So here is an honest look at what intimacy means to a man.
1. Compliments are intimate.
Everyone enjoys feeling good about themselves and men are no exception. Though most men do not show that they need to hear those things, getting a boost of confidence from your lover is never a bad thing. What intimacy means to a man can be as simple as “I like your shoes or you look handsome this morning” These are great ways to boost self-confidence and harness intimacy in your relationship.
2. Physicality does play a big role.
Men are physical in their journey to intimacy than women. They are seen as being more focused on physical intimacy, but that isn’t the case. In men, sex sometimes results to intimacy; among women intimacy sometimes results in sex. Women typically have higher levels of oxytocin, the bonding hormone. Men release this hormone at their highest level during sex, which leaves them at their most vulnerable and intimate. Physical doesn’t have to mean sex. A little touches while your partner is working or reading, rubbing their shoulders etc.
3. Space creates intimacy.
Most men need space to breathe. On average the female partner wants more time spent together while men want more time spent apart. This doesn’t mean there is any problem with the relationship. What matters is finding a balance of closeness and separateness. Suffocating a man is the easiest way to kill intimacy and even the relationship. Giving your partner space to roam and figure out things on his own when he needs to actually creates the space he needs to build intimacy. Let him know that you trust him to make his own decisions and the strength of your bond.
4. Emotional intimacy matters.
Men are often taught not to show weakness from a tender age. That is why it is vital to let your partner know that they can be vulnerable with you without fear. When a man feels comfortable opening up to his partner he is showing a side he has been taught to hide. His partner is his safe, his place where he can be his true self no matter what. That is one of the most intimate and valued feelings a man can share with his partner.
