Interesting Facts on Opposite Sex Friendships

Saturday 19 October 2013 0 comments

Interesting Facts on Opposite Sex Friendships
Opposite Sex Friendships


In some ways, men and women perceive opposite-sex friendships much like same-sex friendships. As with same-sex friendships, both men and women initiate opposite-sex friendships because they offer companionship, good times, conversation, and laughter. As with same-sex friends, both men and women prefer opposite sex friends who are honest, intelligent, sensitive, funny, and dependable. And as with same-sex friendships, men and women dissolve opposite-sex friendships with those who abuse, betray, annoy, and lie to them.

However, several unique qualities of opposite-sex friendship stand out. First, men more than women appear to be motivated by the potential for sex with their opposite-sex friends. (Heterosexual) Men are more sexually attracted to their friends than are women and more often desired to have sex with their opposite-sex friends. Men preferred sexual attractiveness in their friends and perceived sexual attraction to someone and a desire to have sex with someone as important reasons for initiating an opposite-sex friendship. Moreover, men judge the reason “There wasn’t enough sex in our relationship” as an important reason for dissolving their opposite sex friendships. Although men more than women may form friendships to gain sex, sex is not the only motivator for men. Other benefits, such as companionship and emotional support, are clearly important. Men do not rate a desire for sex as one of the most important reasons for initiating an opposite-sex friendship, nor do they rate a lack of sex as one of the most important reasons for ending an opposite-sex friendship.

Secondly, women more than men appear to value physical protection from their opposite sex friends. Women judge physical strength as desirable in an opposite-sex friend. Women judge the failure to receive physical protection from a friend as an important reason for dissolving an opposite-sex friendship. However, rather than select friends partially on the basis of ability to provide protection, women may merely benefit from protection after becoming involved in opposite-sex friendships.

Finally, individual differences in sociosexuality correlate with people’s  judgments of sex in their opposite-sex friendships. Men and women who are relatively willing to engage in casual sex report higher levels of sexual attraction to their friends, judge sexual attraction and a desire for sex as more important reasons for initiating an opposite sex friendship, and judge a loss of sexual attraction and a lack of sexual access as more important reasons for ending an opposite-sex friendship.


Sex differences in desire for sex with opposite-sex friends may create conflict in opposite-sex friendships. Both men and women may feel betrayed by an opposite-sex friend—women because a trusted friend suddenly rejects them because there is no potential for romance and men because they feel they have been led on sexually.
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