Analysis Of Same Sex And Same-Sex Relationships

The question as to whether a man and a woman can just be friends is one that has been debated for many years. The question may be answered depending on when you were born and what the culture of friendship and dating were at the time. There have been many studies linked to friendship, including opposite-sex and same-sex friendship as described in the article, by April L. Bleske and David M. Buss, titled: Can men and women be just friends? This article discusses the methodology of two studies performed to test evolution-based hypotheses and their outcomes. Friendships in general can provide benefits to both parties as well as inflict costs. “One of the complexities of friendship is that some characteristics of friendship are perceived as both …show more content…
The study concluded that both were found to have several common benefits. “These benefits include having a respected friend, being able to talk openly with a friend, receiving a boost to self-esteem, receiving information about the opposite sex, and having a companion.” (Bleske & Buss, 2000) Both same-sex and opposite-sex friendships also incur some common costs, such as “being treated with cruelty, being obligated to help a friend, feeling low in self-worth due to a friend, having one’s time demanded, and being told by a friend that one is not good enough for a certain mate.” (Bleske & Buss, …show more content…
It was also found that men, even though they were not necessarily attracted to an opposite-sex friend, took the opportunity to have a sexual encounter with them if presented. Even though the hypothesis was supported, sex was not the only benefit rated as a motivator to opposite-sex friendship. They also rated “companionship, self-disclosure, and gaining information about the opposite sex as higher in benefit than sex.” (Bleske & Buss, 2000) One finding that did not support the hypothesis was that both men and women perceived the cost of being denied sexual access and rejection to be