Friendships and the Impact on Relationships

Friendships and the Impact on Relationships

Texas A&M Central Texas

Friendships and the Impact on Relationships

Friendship is a relationship important to all individuals.  They are one of the great things in life that we all have.  These social connections are bonds and relationships that we strive to obtain and maintain.  Friendships are bonds that people create with each other. Without these bonds and interactions with other humans, they would fail to thrive physically, mentally, and spiritually.  Even though these individuals are not connected by blood, like the relationship of a mother, father, sister or brother it is still one of the best relations an individual can possess.

  Some variations can be factored into friendships and the type of relationship that the friend is. People have a particularly distinct way of selecting their mates, and therefore, have the same distinct methods of selecting their friends.   According to, Buss people often choose mates who have something they do not have. They also look for characteristics that closely fits their own. Men are more likely to choose women who are young, attractive and fertile. Whereas, women choose men who are tall, sociable accepted, financially stable and charming. Researchers have shown that we are mostly likely to choose friends who are like us. Our backgrounds, personalities values, and experiences, also point out that we prefer someone who has a lot in common with us over someone who is entirely different from us. Often, we seek people who complete or complements us. One reason for our preferences is that it is easier for us to communicate, understand and trust each other.  

   There are different types of friendships.  There are same-sex friendships, which accounts for many of friendships.  There are opposite sex friendship and group friendships.  First, same-sex friendships are usually the first type of friendships we make at a young age and continue to carry throughout early childhood.  Young children usually flock to their gender to seek friendships as there is no need for mating or attraction at this young age.  Most children also believe that the same sex will enjoy what the same things, so they will not have to play things that are not their normal.  Girls prefer to play with dolls and dress up while boys tend to play with action figures and tend to be rougher in their play.  So, for many same-sex friendships become the safe alternative for most their lives, there is comfortability in similarity.  It is simpler to relate to someone who speaks our language, gets our culture, shares our values and norms.

Opposite sex friendships are usually not acquired until puberty time frame.  This is not only the time for when mating and attraction become apparent.  During this time gender lines tend to blur for the sake of attracting a mate.  Males and females tend to have a lot more in common as their interests expand through more experience they create.  Opposite sex friendships have their benefits as they allow the opposite sex to get advice about that sex if needed for mating purposes. It is normal for most individuals to think that males and females can be friends without a romantic attraction or for mating purposes.  With opposite sex friendships, romantic partners may not be as accepting of their partner having an opposite sex friend.  Their partner may feel threatened when their partner has an opposite sex friend for fear of them being attracted to each other and causing their partner to cheat on them.  However, if the friendship is shared between both partners then the likelihood their friendship will survive is high

Group friendships are most common amongst middle-aged adults and those who are in a relationship.  These are friendships where a group of people shares common interests, just like same singular sex or opposite sex friendships occur.  These friendships are usually formed at work or in a place that they all share a mutual interest.  There stronger and weaker friendships within these groups and there is also certain individuals that cannot stand another person.   Most of these friendships will consider themselves family with the other members of the group and have a stronger bond with these friends than they do within their families.  Group friendships tend to form and stand the test of time as they are usually shared by mature individuals who usually do not allow conflict or drama to ruin a friendship.