The cultural plasticity of intimacy behavior: A socioecological attachment perspective.

Gender imbalances in intimacy behavior reflect culturally contingent expressions of attachment organization rather than fixed gender differences. Building on Wahring et al.'s model, we apply the Biobehavioral Cultural Model of Attachment to show how affiliative behaviors vary with socioecological conditions, early reinforcement patterns, and cultural norms, offering a dynamic, context-sensitive account of intimacy across diverse settings.