Should You Be In FWB (Friends With Benefits) Relationship?
Consensual sex without emotional attachment may sound like a new thing for millennials, but it isn’t. Below, you will discover the gains, losses, and rules for successful FWB.
Friends with Benefits refer to two people in a sexual relationship without showing responsibility and emotional drama. Unlike dating and romantic relationships, FWB does not involve commitment or attachment. Since the benefits of this relationship are sexual, the friendship part can include living together, socializing, and hanging out. Friends with Benefits setup can get people less concerned about their FWB in public. Although there are many ways to make a successful FWBS, experienced people claim the following rules are the back born for working FWBs.
Avoid Hooking Up Frequently
Do Friends with Benefits Hook up too often? It is normal to overdo after finding an FWB, especially after staying single for a long time or your sexual demands have not been met for a while. However, after finding someone you agree with on sex without attachment, avoid many hookups because it can result in something serious. Hooking up once or twice after two weeks is great. Although being around them can make you feel a certain way, hooking up often can ruin your life goals because you will be spending too much time together. Always keep in mind something should not develop out of your FWB setup if you are both serious about it.
Do Not Communicate Too Often
Communication is the key to any successful relationship. However, this does not mean you keep it maximum with your FWB. Chatting or calling your FWB every second can make them think you are in for something serious. The consequences for this can be loss of friendship or both of you falling in love, which should not happen in an FWB relationship.
Avoid Sleepovers
Yes, you are having sex with them, but are sleepovers necessary? Keep in mind your relationship has no strings, and it should not have. Therefore, leave sleepovers for people in romantic relationships.
Use Protection in Your Sex Sessions
Since you do not expect much from each other or you have no plans, having protected sex in your FWB setup can be a brilliant idea. Incorporating protection in your sex sessions can help prevent unplanned pregnancies and the spread of sexually transmitted infections. The FWB does not restrict anyone from falling in love or having sex with other partners. Therefore, you will be at great risk if you take your health for granted, the same way you treat the relationship.
Know FWBs Are Not Long-Lasting
Getting too much into FWBs can leave you depressed after they eventually end. To be safe, understand this relationship can last for weeks or months. Although some make it to years, chances are the two might have found love in each other. Most people call it quits after satisfying their sexual needs. For this reason, you should not be depressed because of a broken FWB. After all, they are not built to last.
Pros Of Friends with Benefits
Here are the be benefits of FWB;
Both Of You Have No Responsibility
Unlike in romantic relationships, you can meet your FWB’s parents if you want. Communication in this relationship is also optional because none of you is responsible for each other. In simple words, FWB allows you to enjoy sexual pleasure without paying attention to the other person. Since a relationship is not your goal, you can bone each other and pay maximum attention to your career or life goals.
You Can Go Eye Someone Else
FWBs do not restrict you from falling in love with someone else or looking for sex elsewhere. FWBs are usually ideal for men and women in-between relationships. Since there are no strings attached, you can hop out and look for someone you see as attractive and ready for a long-term romantic relationship.
You Can Enjoy Sex Without Investing Your Emotions
The greatest part of FWBs is that it allows you to enjoy sex without investing your emotions comfortably. This saves you from heartbreaks and allows you to behave in ways you want. Sex with someone you are not connected to on an intimate level can make you feel relaxed and enjoy it in ways you could not do with someone you care about at an intimate level.
FWBs Are Safer Than One Night Stands with Strangers
One night's stand with a stranger can be riskier to your health than sex with a friend. One-night stands involve having sex with someone you have just met. This means you may not have developed trust in them or know where they exactly stay.
Downsides of FWBs
Friends with benefits have downsides you should consider before giving them a try. These disadvantages include;
The Relationship Can Come to An Abrupt End When They Find Better People
How long should an FWB relationship last? Regardless of the time, you have spent together. An FWB can abruptly end If the other person finds people they consider better than you. In most cases, these new people meet their relationship requirements; hence dropping you to be committed to them becomes a goal.
May Cause Pregnancy or STDs
Although you might find sex is great without protection in your FWB setup, some risks can follow later, including pregnancy or STDs. Yes, they are your friends, but does that mean they cannot poison your health and make you pregnant? What if they are also having sex with other people simultaneously? It is always better to keep it safe with condoms to avoid compromising your health.
You May Fall in Love
Although FWBs should not have strings, the two involved can slide and find themselves in a deep romantic tie. Having sex multiple times increases the emotional connection you may not have planned for at the beginning of the relationship. A relationship born out of an FWB can last longer depending on how you treat each other.
The Bottom Line
If you are strictly looking for an FWB, the above rules can help you. Carefully read them to avoid the risks attached to this relationship.