Friends with Benefits: Fun or Risky?

Every college student has contemplated it. Should you mess around with the cutie down the hall or wait patiently until he comes to his senses and realizes your are the future Mrs. Cutie and asks you to accompany him on a picnic alongside the lovely Hocking River? With the release of the box-office hit No Strings Attached, everyone is wondering can best friends be sex friends?
 

Good: I believe FWB relationships can turn into a positive experience, as long as both people involved are aware of the “rules”, risks and consequences of the situation. Both people are receiving exactly what they’re looking for with no attachment involved. Sure the walk from South Green to West Green can be long and tiresome, especially in the brutal winter winds, but isn’t it worth it by the end of the night? You’re not required to interact with this person aside from hooking up. No dates, no dinner, no family functions – sounds perfect in the eyes of a busy college student. Personally, I don’t have time to be wined and dined. In between work, school and a social life there isn’t much time left for a boyfriend, let alone dating and trying to find “the one”. So why not save that for later in life when the man has the money to take me out somewhere nice as he tries to buy my affection as opposed to the college student date of slice night pizza? FWB allows you what you want, when you want it. The problem in this relationship arises when one person develops unreciprocated feelings for the other.
 

Bad: As the person with “unreciprocated feelings” in a purely hypothetical, not at all real, in no way, shape, or form are we talking about myself way, I believe that FWB relationships can only damage a girl’s self-esteem and idea of a healthy relationship. FWB relationships revolve around one thing: sex. At first it might be fun to use your partner for frisky post-midnight meetings, but deeper feelings are inevitable. Sex naturally creates a strong bond between two people. Not to mention that kissing and cuddling mess with emotions psychologically by increasing levels of the “cuddle hormone” oxytocin. Meaningful, lasting, Facebook-official relationships rarely result from hook-ups. However, that can be a hard fact to face when absorbed with thoughts of your lover’s lips. Realizing that romantic feelings are not returned can crush a girl and it can be difficult to end physical and emotional contact. Whether you are the one wanting more than sex or the commitment-phobe, FWB relationships are more hazardous than walking down Morton Hill after an ice storm. Warning: proceed with caution.
 
FWB can be a great way to pass those long, lonely nights if you aren’t interested in commitment. However, if a PDA-enthusiast of a boyfriend is what you’re after beware of this circumstance. And, if you’re lucky, maybe you will find love in a very unconventional way.