Love and friendship are similar. And we’re not always sure how we actually feel about the other. How to understand it? Take advantage of our tips.
Friendship and love mean a lot to us, but it is impossible to explain the essence of these concepts in a nutshell. How are love and friendship similar, and how are they fundamentally different?
What do friendship and love have in common?
Both that, and another feeling at times it is absolutely impossible to explain. It is still impossible to say unequivocally why we choose some people for love or friendship while completely ignoring others, even if they are objectively more suitable for us.
In addition, both in love and in friendship, the most important thing is how we communicate with others: care, attention, sincere interest strengthen these feelings, make them deeper and stronger. And neither one nor the other should be taken for granted: we are changing, and our interests and passions are changing after us. Sincerity, the desire to solve problems, the desire to make an effort to maintain intimacy – this is the main secret of the existence of both love and friendship.
What distinguishes love from friendship?
It is difficult to answer this question, and yet we feel that there is a difference. Let’s try to figure out what
1. Love usually occurs between two. Yes, relationships can exist in many ways, but as a rule, we want the partner to be the only one. If we love several partners at the same time, we are condemned. Unlike love, friendship can unite many different people: you can be friends with at least ten people and not feel shame and guilt at the same time.
2. Lovers are tightly connected to each other. If one is ill, the other also suffers. If a loved one is happy, we rejoice with him. Other people’s experiences and emotions are felt as their own, and you want to give everything so that your loved one feels good. Of course, friends also feel our pain and share our joy, but they do not feel our states so keenly and do not actively join our emotions.
3. Falling in love and love are accompanied by bodily reactions. When we meet the object of our passion, the heart literally jumps out of the chest, the palms sweat, we experience strong excitement. Meeting with friends, we are happy, but still butterflies in the stomach do not have to be pacified. In addition, love is always associated with physical attraction, but in friendship (if it is friendship, and not love, which is disguised as it), there is no such thing.
4. Love often begins with a note of madness. It is unlikely that you will dream at night about the upcoming meeting with a friend and dream about him. And lovers often suffer from “love insomnia” and enjoy dreams about a partner. They fall asleep and wake up with the thought of a loved one. Sometimes they think about each other in the bustle of the working day, and at a meeting with friends, and in line for bread. Friends can also experience some obsession, but not with a friend, but with a common goal, ideas, interests.
Sometimes it’s hard to tell what the difference is between true friendship and love. If you’re not sure how you feel about someone, check this list for yourself.
For comparison, remember the moments when you were definitely in love. Also decide: what do you expect from this person, what do you want from him?
Take a closer look at friendship, compare how you feel about other friends and the subject of possible love. Determine for yourself whether you really want to take the relationship to another level.