Friendships between men and woman are often fraught with difficulties when attraction enters the picture.
However, research shows male and female friendships become even more unbalanced when existing romantic relationships are taken into consideration.
The study, which was conducted by the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, consisted of 88 pairs of male and female friends.
Researchers split the men and women up and had them complete an identical questionnaire, which assessed their attraction to their friends and their satisfaction with their current relationship.
“Men are more likely to be attracted to female
friends whether one or both are in a relationship.”
Looking at the data, researchers found men (especially straight young men) are more likely to be attracted to their female friends, regardless of whether one or both of them are in a romantic relationship.
Conversely, women in existing romantic relationships are less likely to find their male friends attractive.
Both men and women felt this attraction was more of a problem than a benefit to the friendship.
Also, if an individual finds a friend attractive, they are more likely to feel dissatisfied with a current relationship and their romantic partner is likely to feel jealous of the friendship in question.
Source: Bleske-recheck.com.
