Friends, Lovers or 'Friends with Benefits'?

Posted October 2nd, 2007 by Irene

What’s a little sex between friends? A more common scenario than you might think. Two researchers, Melissa A. Bisson of Wayne State and Timothy R. Levine of Michigan State University (MSU), studied Friends with Benefits (FWBs)---couples who have sexual relations within the context of a casual friendship...

Sixty percent of the MSU research participants (college students) admitted having such relationships and said that they valued them because “they incorporated trust and comfort while avoiding romantic commitment.”

FWB friendships are common among busy young professionals who enjoy the physical aspects of friendship but who are in-between more committed or longer-term relationships.

The new studies, reported in the September 13, 2007 issue of the Archives of Sexual Behavior and reported in today’s New York Times, found that those friends who “hook up” like this rarely have explicit conversations about the nature of their relationship. The researchers conclude, “Although common, FWB relationships are often problematic for the same reasons that they are attractive.”

Bottom line: Honest, open communication is essential to any relationship---friends, lovers or friends with benefits.