Friendships are built through the actions we take and the words we speak. When we don’t know what to do, the bro code comes to the rescue. While not internationally recognized (yet) by organizations like the United Nations, it’s universally known and respected. Bro code rules are simple to follow because they are quite logical. Think of them as etiquette rules that help us create friendships and grow them.
Popularized by How I Met Your Mother, it has leaked into real life to become an important part of modern bro culture. If you’ve ever wondered what the Bro code is and why we should follow it, the answer is pretty simple. When you want to have a true friendship with someone, no matter the gender, this code can act as a guide. The rules are easy to follow, like “don’t embarrass your friends around their crush.” The point is to be the best bro for your female or male friend.
Code of Bro is the key to happiness, so it is vital (not really) to know it as best as we can. User Hour-Employee9716 decided to ask a question on the Askmen subreddit — “What is a bro code that you think should be followed internationally?” With so many answers to choose from, we have compiled some of the best ones in the list below. Some of them might be more accepted than others, so be sure to upvote them. On the other hand, if you have a rule of your own, be sure to share it in the comments below.
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"If a dude has had enough to drink, don't keep offering him more."
"The last slice of pizza goes to the bro who paid for it."
Elastichedgehog said:
"If your homie wants to talk about their feelings, listen to them. Normalise men being open about their emotions, god dammit!"
Gongaloon replied:
"And don't use the stuff they told you about against them later."
NEVER "use the stuff they told you about against them"...which is one of the reasons I don't share easily.
"If you see a bro hitting on a chick who is not interested, you should tell him she isn't interested just in case he didn't notice."
Bigram03 said:
"Be cool to our female bros."
adazedherring replied:
"Especially in video games. Just because they can't see you doesn't mean you can be a d*ck."
"If your bro lets you borrow his car/truck fill his tank before returning it."
MikeLanglois said:
"That the bro code has no age limits. Little bros to senior bros, everyone gets respect."
DroopyPenguin95 replied:
"It is therefore our duty as senior bros to teach the junior bros about the bro code."
Verano_Zombie said:
"If he calls you and says he needs help, or he's feeling down, you rush to his side. No questions asked."
MayonaiseH0B0 replied:
"We’re taught so often to not show emotion saying “I’m feeling down” is basically saying “dude I’m at rock bottom and don’t know what to do”."
"Don't get into any type of business with your bro. Money changes every relationship."
"Hype up your guy when you're around the gal he likes. Don't put him down even if it's jokes."
Only if he deserves it, if he's a twat ( womanizer or a cheater ) hell no.
"Don't disrespect a man's home (or a woman's for that matter). If you're a guest in someone else's home, then you give it the respect as if you're visiting royalty in a castle. Do they disrespect you? Politely leave and deal with it later."
"Bros don't let other bros stay toxic. Talk to your friends when they do something sh*tty. They respect you and they'll listen to you. An awkward conversation is worth improving both your lives."
This one bro still doesn't get it, I can’t get rid of him because he is nice to everyone else but me
SausigBoi said:
"When in the bathroom and you are peeing, leave 1 urinal between us. Don't pee right next to me."
user No. 2 replied:
"Not only that, if there are five (A, B, C, D, E) and I'm using A, don't use D to force the third guy to choose who to pi*s next to. Use C or E so the third person can have their privacy too without it being awkward."
flourpowerhour replied:
"Even more specifically I think the most bodacious order would be A, E, C."
Faezan said:
"Protect your bro’s dignity even when he is not around."
Boondock_Bandit replied:
"Especially when he's not around. Imagine how touched a bro would feel to find out you're fighting his battles even in his absence. Plus, word travels, and people tend to distance themselves from shady individuals."
I fully agree, unless he was being a d**k to someone then you tell him about it to correct it.
"Don't throw shade on a man in front of his crush."
TylerTwillus said:
"If a bro has something (food) on his face, notify him so it isn't there all day."
user No. 2 replied:
"Or anything about his appearance that could make him look bad to a girl or superior. I once pulled a bro aside and told him his fly was down. It was super awkward and I expected a jab like him asking why I was looking. I was going to say I was just looking out for a bro like I'd want to be looked out for, but he just thanked me and we never spoke of it again."
Dude, if Im walking on a street and another dudes comes to me and warns me my fly is Open, i Will thank him for warning me, Im not gonna go full moron and ask him why was he looking at it.
"Do not abandon your bros because you are in a relationship."
Also, if your partner starts trying to make you distance yourself from your friends and/or family - Huge Red Flag.
"If another dude's head nods to you, always respond in kind."
getridofwires said:
"If you borrow a tool, bring it the fu*k back in a timely fashion."
SurpriseOnly replied:
"In as good or better condition."
If I borrow tools, I always clean and service the tool before returning it. I've lent tools and have received them in a broken state so many times that now I just say no.
not_funny_just_mean said:
"If two bros got eyes for the same girl/guy/whomever, then neither of them jumps for it."
nopeimdumb replied:
"My crew always went with the rule of respecting the lady's choice."
whatdoesninemean replied:
"I appreciate your inclusion, sir."
"Any man willing to go toe to toe with you deserves your respect, win or lose. At least he had the balls to stand up for himself."
agentup said:
"When your bro is telling a story don’t correct him just go with it. Stories aren’t meant to be factual they’re meant to entertain."
Wring159 replied:
"Learned that the hard way, lost all my friends 'cause I kept correcting them."
Wring159, did you really lose all your friends that way, or are you trying to trick us into being bad bros?
User No. 1 said:
"Player 1 is the person who owns the console."
Zibani replied:
"Correction: the owner of the console gets all right to choose what player they are. Player 1 is the most coveted position except for in cases where characters are locked to specific player numbers."
LifeGoesOn-ForSome said:
"If a bro is moving, help your bro move. If you’re the bro moving, provide brewskis."
ahhter replied:
"Not limited to moving. If bros are coming over - provide beer. If you're going over to visit bro - bring beer."
"If you must take a nasty dump in your bro's house use air freshener if available, open a window if possible, and ALWAYS warn said bro of the foulness."
MrJabbaDaHut said:
'Don't play with another man's legos."
UselesOpinion replied:
"Don’t play with another Bros’ Legos without permission."
Yup. Except with actual brothers. Ever since mine moved out, his legos are MINE!
SMLjefe said:
"Never make a joke about something a person has no control over. Ex. Being short."
ok_cool_got_it replied:
"Guilty of this one."
adazedherring replied:
"Thanks for recognizing it, you need to eventually do better, we've all been there."
Disagree. But only if they're generally comfortable about it. Don't be a douche. "I'm too lazy to do X" "No you're just a fatass. Get on your shoes."
"When moving, beer and pizza are always acceptable instead of cash."
"Don't steal my bench at the gym when I walk away for 15 seconds grabbing some weights."
DrunkenGolfer said:
"If a man dies, delete his browser history."
IDrinkCrocodileTears replied:
"I kinda hope we get to a point in bro history where we just save our browser histories and store them in a time capsule for future bros to find. Kind of like the library of Alexandria, but for bros."
matthewgoodwin1 said:
"If your bro dies doing weights, put some extra weights on the bar THEN can 999."
Simplysalted replied:
"Okay, this made me chuckle, I want you talking up at my funeral about how I doubled my PR then my heart exploded."
s199320 said:
"If you can feel a bro is self-conscious about something don’t call him out on it, if he brings it up show nothing but positivity."
user No. 2 replied:
"Wait a while, let it pass, then find a way to compliment him on it.
Example: Your bro tells you he feels like he looks like sh*t. Tell him the next day that his hair looks absolutely awesome. The time makes it seem like it's completely unrelated to when he brought it up, and it will make him feel good about himself.
An example is taken from my own life: I'm a musician, and musicians are always self-conscious about their work. If a friend plays me something he made and does the whole "I think it's pretty good but it probably stinks" thing, memorize a little snippet and hum or whistle it next time you meet. I'll make his day."
"Always re-rack your weights at the gym."
If someone is bench pressing beyond their limits and needs help, casually help them re-rack the bar and don't make a big deal of it.
colagero99 said:
"One trip with the groceries. Never two."
BlackJoke3008 replied:
"There is only one trip everywhere. If you have to walk twice, you're doing it wrong."
My uncle always said carrying too much in one trip is a lazy man's load. No bro looks good when he drops half of it.
peanutcheetos said:
"Don't joke about everything and call it DaRk HumOr."
Labelmaker42069 replied:
"If you have to call it anything it wasn’t a joke if it’s dark it better be funny and if it’s not you better have read the room right."
Dark humor is touchy, a good joke would be (if you are not an orphan) I burned an orphanage down… don't worry the kids are already in the trunk. (If you are one I am sorry please let me know if I offended you and i will personally apologize if I get a notification)
"A bro will never make eye contact with another bro while eating a Banana."
This one is a bit weird. I remember people always made fun of the way you shake your drink in high school (you know like the movement mimics another activity) and to this day I still remember that when I shake a drink...so I didn't like that at all. Just eat your banana or shake your drink bro. No judgement here.
"Lift a bro up, don't push a bro-down."
user said:
"If you are no longer bro's with someone. Don’t go airing out all their dirty laundry. Just had that happen to me. Dude, we’re adults, I don’t have time for this petty drama."
user No. 2 replied:
"Yup. The funny thing is, I knew he was the type of person to do something like this but it’s usually to people he’s genuinely beefing with. We had a relatively small disagreement. I was just too naive in thinking that we were ever tight enough that he wouldn’t do that same sh*t to me."
There are very few people you can trust in bad times as well as good, sadly.
LurkerTurntPoster said:
"Don’t take back all the beers you brought to a party. You can retrieve as many as will fit in your pockets (The Tuck Rule)."
theflyingkiwi00 replied:
"In my group of mates, I'm the only beer drinker. I get called out for not taking my beers home and after a party, I always end up with more beers somehow. Went to a party with 1 box and the next morning left with 3, most of the time they loaded it into the car before I even realize it. Haven't had to buy beers in months."
Hosts have to clean up after, leave the alcohol you bring as a thank you for providing the party..
"If you you are male and your roommate is also male and entertaining a guest, either stay in your room or go somewhere else, and never barge in the common areas. Be like the wind."
"If you see any man unzipped, lowly say, hey, your post office is open."
"Don’t mess with another man's car."
"If a Bro buys you a beer at the ballgame, you must buy the next round."
kiefdabeef said:
"Do no harm. Take no sh*t."
StereoFood replied:
"This is how I live. Don’t understand why people harm."
"Always make a dad look good in front of his kids. Avoid disrespecting or belittling him even if he deserves it. The illusion of dad as top dog is important."
"Don't kick a dude in the balls."
If this is just two idiots duking it out fine, but if I'm fighting for my life the balls are gonna be the first thing to get the treatment right before the throat and the eyes.
TheBassMeister said:
"If you catch another bro crying, don't make fun of him or tell other people that you saw your bro crying."
flyeaglesfly44 replied:
"I was with a friend a few years ago at lunch and he got himself in some trouble really and started crying. I felt really bad for him and would never have told anyone. Later that night, we met up with some other friends and he instantly starts telling them all how he fakes cried to prank me and f*ck with me. I was never going to tell anyone but I told the truth after that."
"If your bro has a proper breakup with his partner, and for some reason, you have her on social media, just remove her and make a point of letting him know you have his back. This only applies if you only met her through him. If you were already close friends with her it's a bit different. It's just about showing loyalty."
"Don't mock another dude's facial hair. Even if he doesn't have much growth or whatever if he likes it you hype it."
Nah. I only half agree. Don't mock a bro's face fur, but sincerely tell him if it looks bad.
CPatt8989 said:
"Never BBQ on another man's grill unless explicitly asked."
teh_fizz replied:
"Really? Where I’m from the host doesn’t BBQ while the bro takes over. This way the host can entertain and spend time with people."
"Calling shotgun."
Did that once lol, my 1st ever service as a firefighter, we had to go to the hospital and take a pacient home, ( its always 3 firefighters, 1 driver, and 2 crew ) my and the driver huge guys both Over 1.80m tall, both Over 100kg, the other firefighter a woman 1.60m at best 50/55kg soaking wet ( size matters here due to the size of the seat in the back, for her it would be a normal seat, for us it was the " One a*s cheek seat " ) i go to the ambulance and get shotgun, She comes near me and goes, " you, to the back " i looked at her aked her why ( i was genuinly curious, 1st service like i Said ) and both her and the driver explained that the seating arrangement goes according to rank, and my rank was just slightly above the firehouse dog's rank...
roger162 said:
"When a friend is chasing a girl, always be his wingman."
user No. 2 replied:
"I've been a victim of when this isn't followed by the bros."
Unless he’s literally chasing her and she’s really not into it. Then still be his wingman - take him under your wing and stop him.
throwaway198012122 said:
"Never call another grown man “chief” or “boss”."
D_r_e_cl_cl replied:
"I think most guys who do this don't realize those are terms you use with kids and aren't appropriate for adults. I straight up call them out on it, 'Chief? What do you think I am, 7?'"
"If your bro ever says that he was with you, even if you haven't seen him in years. Then he was with you."
Sorry, but no. I want to know what I'm being an alibi for.
Many of these have nothing to do with being a bro.
One is literally just don't commit a specific war crime.
Bros? Dudes? Nah, no thanks.... I'm a fkn adult....
We need to make a book out of this. The holy book of bros.
Many of these have nothing to do with being a bro.
One is literally just don't commit a specific war crime.
Bros? Dudes? Nah, no thanks.... I'm a fkn adult....
We need to make a book out of this. The holy book of bros.