A new study finds that feelings of attraction between opposite-sex friends is more a burden than a benefit.
TUESDAY, Sept. 11, 2012 — Can men and women just be friends? Maybe not, according to a study from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Researchers found that attraction is common between people in opposite-sex friendships, and these feelings can cause problems, especially if one of the “friends” is in a romantic relationship with someone else.
When participants were asked to list pluses and minuses of having opposite-sex friends, 32 percent said feelings of attraction were a drawback, while 6 percent said these feelings were a benefit.
Forty-seven percent of the women ages 18 to 23 listed attraction as a negative attribute of an opposite-sex friendship, while 22 percent of men felt the same.
The gender gap closed a bit when participants were asked if jealousy on the part of a significant other was a cost of maintaining their opposite-sex friendship; 38 percent of women said yes, and 25 percent of the men agreed.
In addition, feelings of attraction towards a friend appear to have an adverse effect on feelings towards the participants' mates: Younger females and middle-aged participants who reported more attraction to an opposite-sex friend reported less satisfaction in their romantic relationship.
The researchers think interacting with a member of the opposite sex triggers instinctual mating strategies.
“Our findings implicate attraction in cross-sex friendship as both common and of potential negative consequence for individuals’ long-term mateships,” the researchers wrote in the study, published in the August issue of the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships
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Tell us: Do you think men and women can just be friends? Let us know about your experience with opposite-sex friendships in the comments below. (Note: Users will not be able to comment on mobile devices).
Saturday 22 December 2018