Friends Have Benefits: Ever Thought of Dating a Close Friend?

Tired of disastrous blind dates? Had your fill of internet hookup sites thinly veiled as friendship databases? Losing hope in the idea that there is that one special someone in the world who exists just for you? I was. But I found a solution to the dead-end results and insecurities of not knowing who I'd end up with; I did what we all do in times of our greatest need. I turned to a friend.

This is not a how-to guide on "friends with benefits." It's an exploration into that dating realm often considered taboo to this MTV generation. If you haven't before, I encourage you now to consider your friends as potential romantic partners.

Let's take a look at the logic here. The traits generally wanted in a significant other are: trust, attraction, compatibility, and a special connection exclusive to the couple. If we compare these traits to those found in a good friend we can find all that we're looking for.

Number one in any relationship is trust. Trust is built from constant communication. We fear strangers because we don't know anything about them. We don't communicate regularly with them--we can't trust them. We trust our friends because we know them, we are around them and communicate as often as we can with them. Honest communication is the key to maintaining trust. So let's apply this to a good friend / potential "more-than-friend." We are willing to tell them our thoughts, feelings, fears, secrets and goals. We lay ourselves out on the table for them. We share our souls. Aristotle wrote that "friendship is a single soul living in two bodies." Who better a candidate for soul-mate than a friend?