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Community: Polls & Surveys

Friends

In summer 2007, we asked you about friendship. We wanted to know what makes a true buddy and whether or not platonic friendship is possible. We also cornered you on the tricky subject of dumping a mate.

Quality mates

Most of you would rather have a few close mates than lots of friends who you aren't so close to. Three-quarters of you have six or fewer close friends and three in 10 of you have no more than three. 35% of you met your close friends at school, 17% met them at college or university and 10% met them at work. 46% of you have a best friend who you most likely met at school.


Top five friend qualities

  • Honesty
  • Trustworthiness
  • Loyalty
  • Sense of humour
  • Good listener

Platonic friendship

Most of you (73%) think it's possible to have a close platonic relationship with someone of the sex you would usually be attracted to. Just one in 10 believe it wouldn't be possible and 15% were unsure. Here are some of your thoughts on the issue:  

"I think a platonic relationship is possible, but I also think you might accidentally snog them when drunk/in crisis or something, but then you both know it means nothing."

"I can have a close platonic relationship with my friend because we're both with other people and would drive each other mad as boyfriend/girlfriend!"

"Platonic relationships can work because I think it's possible to suppress sexual feelings."

"It's not possible because of the closeness; one will always fall for the other at some point."

Falling in love with a friend

More than half of you (58%) have fancied or fallen in love with a friend at some stage. While some of you have tales to make us weep about being happily married to your best friend, others have less than happy stories about eternally unrequited love and ruined friendships.   

Dumping pals

A quarter of you say you'd never dump a friend. One of you said: "I wouldn't 'dump' them but I would see less of them if they started to act in a certain way. In general though, I believe in sticking by your friends." However, those of you who would say dishonesty and betrayal would be the most likely reasons. Many of you mentioned a friend cheating with your partner as the ultimate betrayal.

Here are some of the ways you said you'd dump a friend:

"I'd cut contact gently, over time."

"I'd delete them from Facebook."

"I'd tell them to their face."

"I'd avoid the person."



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