Why, Bro? is a semi-regular series where we look at the reasons why men do the things they do.
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"You're guaranteed to know someone and a chat isn't usually tough to strike up. If there is no one you know at the bar you then have the backup of the bar staff to chat to,” he adds. “Essentially you're never lonely standing up in a pub.”Considering a YouGov study four years ago found that a fifth of adult men don’t have a best friend, optimising the ability to socialise by standing up doesn’t sound so silly. Lee Chambers, an environmental psychologist and wellbeing trainer, confirmed Dan’s stance on standing up.“Men have a tendency to often communicate in a side by side frame when it comes to personal space, often creating lines and horseshoe groups of men socialising.” The environment of the pub, he says, complements the phenomenon. “Both traditional and modern drinking establishments have a tendency to magnify this, with environments designed to drink and stand.”
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While the lads I interviewed didn’t touch on any of the points made by Chambers, his professional words were echoed by the female pub goers I interviewed for this investigation. Hannah, 26, touched upon similar traits in her analysis. “I think men love standing in pubs because it’s masculine. Men love showing off and peacocking, and sitting down would limit this. If all their mates are standing up, then they have to stand as well to boost their ego.”As well as copying each other in their pub characteristics, the inability for men to understand that they’re getting in the bloody way is one mentioned by all the women interviewed. Jo, 32, surmised the groups thoughts with, “I think many men just don't worry about being a nuisance. They should.”Still, Chambers is hopeful for the future of men’s self-awareness in pubs. He states there is a cultural shift underway, not just in the way men speak to each other (which would be vastly improved by putting their ass on a seat), but in the way they perceive a room. He anticipates that “as more men switch on to how their behaviour affects people around them, and society shifts what is defined as normal masculinity, there's much less need for them to stand up and scout the room for the next target, or stand there with their chest puffed out”.When questioned, each lager lad had their own reason for standing up in the pub – whether it’s their ability to get to the bog, not letting themselves feel sleepy or a lack of seating that accommodates them – but none really wanted to consider that. Because this is a group activity, their individual reasoning doesn’t particularly apply. Based on Chambers’ professional input, comments from the women I interviewed, and some solid common sense, it seems to be that the blame for how annoying men are when they stand up in pubs falls down to the usual reason that men are annoying. And that’s on toxic masculinity, luv.@GlNATONICIllustration by Christa Jarrold.