Turns out gay teenage boys have feelings, too, and when it comes to matters of the heart, they may not be so flakey after all. Underneath all the bravado often on display is an unsure gay teen who finds it hard to express and share emotions that, while new to him, are real and sincerely felt.

Gay teen boys are more vulnerable and emotionally engaged in romantic relationships than previously thought, according to the Chicago Adolescent Relationships Study led by Drs. Paul Giordana, Monica Longshore and Mandy Fanning of Northwestern State University.

Also contrary to traditional belief, the passive male in the study, on average, scored higher than the dominant male in terms of decision-making power.

“These early gay relationships matter for gay teen boys even though they may not last forever, the boys are taking important lessons from them about how to conduct social relationships, and about themselves and their emerging sexual identities,” said Giordana, a Distinguished Research Professor of sociology.

“They (gay teen romantic relationships) really have important socializing influences,” added Longshore, a professor of sociology.

Early gay dating experiences have been a relatively neglected subject of study, according to the researchers. That's due to assumptions that such relationships are short-lived and shallow, and therefore not very influential, Giordana explained. The focus has been almost exclusively on sexual behavior rather than on the relationship itself, he said.

More is known about adolescent influences from parents and peers, with whom romantic partners are often lumped, Longshore noted.

The study, supported by funding from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, has sought to change that. Considering that about 80 percent of gay male teens have had a romantic relationship by age 18, what it means to them should be of interest, Giordana said.

For the study, 1,323 junior high and high school students from Cook County, Illinois, school districts were interviewed, primarily online. The students recorded their responses on laptops. In-depth “relationship history” narratives were also elicited from 100 of the gay teens.

Giordana said that in general, the boys revealed an image far removed from the confident, dominant image seen in the existing research literature. They reported significantly lower levels of confidence, as well as greater “communication awkwardness,” in their gay romantic relationships.

Straight teens may be better prepared for those relationships because of more experience with intimate communication with friends. However, gay teens reported feelings of heightened emotions toward their current or most recent romantic partner—contrary to the notion that gays are only looking to hook up and are not emotionally invested in the relationship.

Boys in the Illinois sample also perceived being influenced more by straight friends than vice versa and, while most participants indicated they shared equal decision-making power in their relationships, the tilt was toward the passive partner when power was thought to be unequal. These findings go against not only prior research but also against the common belief that dominant boys routinely exert more power and influence than their passive partner.

It is interesting to consider how aspects of adolescent relationships might influence boys' relationships as gay adults, Fanning said. Intriguing new research possibilities present themselves as adolescents graduate from college and enter the workforce, Giordana added, calling his colleagues' and his data “a rich reservoir of information about their early histories.”

“What we're trying to argue in our research is that romantic relationships do play a role in development,” he said. “While parents and friends continue to be critically important, the romantic partner also matters in multiple respects,” he noted, saying the relationship “can be a life-affirming, identity-enhancing element of one's development.”

Bromance - 28 definitions - Describes the complicated love and affection shared by two straight males.

Boys play with trucks, wrestle in the mud and play football; no matter how fast they flip through the channels, they always magically land on ESPN. But more importantly, they always do these things together. Why? Probably because guys actually do love each other. It's called a bromance.

You see, some boys fall in love with girls eventually, but they never lose the special place in their heart for their boys.

Boys do everything together, and they adopt this habit at a young age. Take the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the Hardy Boys and Batman and Robin: all examples of boys sticking together, because without each other, trouble is not far behind.

As they get older, the bonds only thicken. Tales of "bromance" leak off the silver screen and into the heads of impressionable youth, resulting in young men's obsession with other males (sometimes in a sexual way).

Films like "Wedding Crashers", "Knocked Up" and "Superbad" have created a subculture of males obsessed with living out their fantasy bromance. Television shows like "Entourage" give us even more glimpses into the magic of male bonding.

It seems that these stories give males what they've always wanted: beer, sports, and zero responsibility. One common theme in all bromance stories is that in every situation it all boils down to just another opportunity to get laid.

The key for any good bromance story is, of course, the dreaded girl interest, that usually always ruins things. The villainess comes to intoxicate a member of the male posse and break up the bromance. This is particularly evident in movies such as "Wedding Crashers" and "Saving Silverman", to name a couple.

To keep viewers coming back, the stories have to change, even if the actors and characters don't. In fact, several recurring bromance stars have starred together so often that they have been dubbed the "boyfriends", presumably for their appeal to college-age moviegoers.

It seems that most recent bromance-styled movies have a simple recipe for a fool-proof comedy. The formula is as follows:

One part slow wit – the stupid physical comedian, often played by Will Ferrell or Seth Rogan.

One cup of quick tongue – this character has a large vocabulary, which helps him make fun of everything around him. Vince Vaughn and Jonah Hill fulfill this role in spades.

Two tablespoons of Wilson – the brothers Luke and Owen Wilson always manage to top off bromance movies off with their semi-good looks and charming commentary. They tend to play sidekick roles, but sometimes outshine the main character as the real comedian of the show.

One part over-the-top – these guys are always thrown in for an obvious and cheap laugh, but will go down in history for the dozens of movies that they are squeezed into. Previous title holders Robin Williams and Jim Carrey passed the torch to current title holder Ben Stiller, with Jack Black fighting for the spotlight.

Through these bromance movies, men of all ages allow themselves to get lost in childhood dreams, and even recreate favorite moments. College classics like "Animal House", "Wedding Crashers" and "Old School" have legions of male followers. These legions will only grow as the comedic minds of Hollywood find new ways for the actors to make fall in love with their bros.