Friend zone

From ArticleWorld

The friend zone is often referred to as folk psychology and can be found being interpreted by any number of men in self help and advice columns. This theory says tshat a woman is open to an intimate – or sexual – relationship within the first several minutes of meeting a man. Once, however, she gets to see some elements of his personality, the woman will increasingly begin to view him as sexually unattractive. Once he reaches a certain threshold, she is no longer open to the possibility of a relationship and she mentally begins to classify him as a friend rather than a lover or a potential mate. Thus, he is put into the friend zone. What happens once a man enters the friend zone?

Men believe – and many women confirm – that once a man reaches the status of a friend and is safely entrenched in the friend zone, it is nearly impossible for him to re-establish himself as a potential lover or mate.

This, unfortunately, can lead to a series of false expectations on the part of a man, since men’s minds work differently; often first defining a woman as a friend, and then defining her as someone he could have sexual interest in. Meanwhile, women, once a man has reached the friend zone, find in almost impossible to change their minds and become sexually attracted to that man.

Naturally, there are exceptions to this rule, when a new aspect of a man’s personality or a previously unseen trait may emerge and allow the man to leave the friend zone to pursue a sexual relationship.

How can a man get out of the friend zone?

Many advice columns advise men to cease all contact once he finds himself in the friend zone, in hopes of re-engaging the interest of a woman. The value of this advice may be more geared to sexual relationships and less toward finding a long-term relationship.