Bryan Caplan recently pointed out to a few of us that while many dating web sites offer to help you find matching romantic mates, there are far fewer friend finding helpers.
I agree. I moved about 18 months ago and I haven't been able to find any friends or should i say, anyone that I would like to have as a friend. I can't talk to my husband about issues that I can with a close friend and I really do miss having someone to talk with each day.
Now, you've heard the term friends are forever. Do not assume commitment isn't in friendships. Then you have levels and degrees of friendships along with types of friendships. Friend, good friend, special friend, Best friend. Of course Best friend is the ones you're closest to, trust the most and have more in common with. As you drop down one at a time you'll find if your best friend was not available and you wanted to do something or go somewhere your Special friends would come to mind. In no luck in the special friend choice your good friend would be chosen. We tend to use that word friend often wrongly. We call people friends who are truthfully acquaintances, associates, colleagues, or people we don't know that well. Friends should know us well enough that if they were out somewhere in a store they would spot an item and know whether we'd buy it or not. A Good friend Special friend or best friend is One soul inhabiting two bodies. I don't put a mate above a close friend. Mates come and go but as you've heard, "Friends are forever." Whether we move from NY to CA the friend may not follow but the tie isn't ever broken, we still keep in touch, visit time to time and always keep up with the lives of each other and come to help when needed. Whether single or married, no one's life is worth living if you do not have a Close Friend. You can make it through life without a mate but not without a friend. As people marry as we can see, mates come and they go. Married today and divorced later. Divorces do not happen between 2 Good Close Friends. Sad part about friends is there is usually a time to find them. In HS and College we usually find them without looking. As you run into people class after class term after term, you'll realize certain folks have a lot in common with you and you wind up talking to them more and more and being around them a lot. The friendship has formed but not by an aggressive search by you or them. The more you have in common the stronger the friendship will be. One common interest won't hold two people close together for long.
When moving to a new city, being retired, and out of the working world and school system finding friends is like trying to win a lotto. Its very very difficult. You dont' want to meet a person who just happens to like one thing that you like. You're looking for someone to be a part of your daily life. Shop with, talk to, watch movies with, go places with, etc...
I may be different from most of you but my thought is that the ONLY difference between a Friend and a Mate is the Sexual part. The Best friend, and the Mate are considered almost equal. But, you will have your romantic events, intercourse and such with the Mate not the friend. Thats the dividing line that allows me to consider this sexual person my mate and the non sexual one my friend.
For those of you who say online dating doesn't work- 1 in 5 american couples met online in 2010. It is still the fastest-growing method to meet someone.
And in response to this topic- there IS a FriendMatch! It's at www.friendmatch.us!It's free, so I invite you all to come for a visit! Ciao, Katie
First of all, stupid question: What about sites like friendfinder? Of course, indeed, all such matching systems are almost comically inadequate.
Networking into extended social circles is handy, for anyone who has that option. But do results accrue from the individual diligently working the social works the network, or how, if at all, any responsive social network actively seeks to provide the individual new introductions?
Also, yes it's a good point how alliance, also the terms, focus and quality thereof, all in all, is a crucially important dimension, far beyond the crass and Machiavellian. Supportive cooperation is essential to survival. Even love cannot conquer alliance stillborn. Alliance, readymade, is an aspect of heteronomy. Indeed, cliques of bullies ally very easily by simply pandering to one another's Sadism. But the good fight too, is doomed in lone struggle. And autonomy is simply distinct from self sufficiency. Notably, Ecclesiastes does not even trouble to compartmentalize alliance distinctly from emotional needs and bonds.
I understand you. I was there. Most of my friends left because they felt they brought more abuse on me, so therefore, I was left with nothing but the abusive partner. I turned to social networking to make friends; the virtual world where no one knew my situation and I could talk like I would to a close friend. I think friend sites for people in these situations or even those handicapped that cannot leave home are wonderful. I would not date from a dating site.
i have never responded to any site really, period.but my friends would always have me.whether i agreed with them or their actions. friends don't humiliate they give advice yet still care even if the advice wasn't taken.you no what? of course not. i am a 48 yo woman that has been in an abusive marriage for 8yrs.nobody wants to be a friend to that. i understand.but even still beyond the abuse u want to be free.i want to talk. about life issues.my beautiful grandkids,etc. i am lonely becuz i feel nobody wants to be friends with an abused person. i am normal beyond that. trust me give me a chance.
I met my wife over 10 years ago through a dating service. We're still very happily married, with 2 kids now. Finding a person you're willing to mate/date with is a completely different thing than finding someone you want to spend every day with for the rest of your life. Matching services work for some people in some circumstances because of the numbers involved. The more people you can meet, the better your chances of meeting someone you want to marry. Some people are just not in situations where they are meeting enough people in the potential husband/wife pool.
Example: Me at age 32 (12 years ago):1) Single male working in a very heavily male dominated business (I'd estimate %80 male employees) with little interaction between any coworkers (more than half work from home, everyone works alone, there are no "group projects"). Work is where a lot of people meet their future spouses.
2) Atheist, so meeting a future spouse at church is out. Church is a great place to meet people in the marrying pool.
3) Living far away from where I grew up and went to school. Friends from high school and college are a great source for meeting people in the marrying pool.
4) Non-drinker. Bars are out. Bars are another popular place for meeting people in the marrying pool.
Given those factors, at the time I was looking, I just wasn't meeting many people who I would consider as possible future spouses. Matching services give you basically a large number of people to meet. Meeting enough people greatly improves your odds of meeting the right person.
I heard in a TED talk recently that the average American has only 1.5 friends, and that this number is less than the ideal number for human flourishing. Assuming demand for friends is present (but some other factor, like ineptitude, lack of opportunity, or busyness is at work), a friend website could be successful.
1. If Robin keeps writing things like these, he should worry at least a little about what his wife will do with the body after the freezers take the head.
2. Are the comments sections here a form of friend finder?
3. We need a simian status analysis of Jay Thomas's post above.
I don't think the point is how much value you place on top friends as compared to a mate. The level of commitment is what is important. We make a greater commitment to our mates (share time, money, household tasks.) regardless of the relative value of that relationship. My wife followed me to New Jersey when igot anew job. My best friend did not. With the exception of commitment, how is a friend different from a mate?
I disagree with Robin. For reasonably attractive adults sex is pretty easy find if you go actively go looking for it and least in reasonably large cities. When I was single I found finding physically appealing people to have sex with FAR easier than finding the mental compatibility I was looking for. I had to meet a lot of people to find someone I fit together with as well as my wife. Sexual compatibility is a chunk of the equation but not anywhere near the whole deal.
I've been in bad relationships with good sex before. It doesnt come even close to being the whole deal.
People will try to find lovers on a website because it is a lot harder than making friends.
In my experience finding lovers (read: sex partners) is easier than finding friends. I think when you reach a certain age (I'm 31) most of one's friends will belong to a certain social group with pretty specific characteristics, unless you've perhaps known them since childhood, before one's identity has been fully formed.
If you're kind of a generalist (who works from home, too) then finding people with whom to continually hang out with is harder than getting some digits at a club and hooking up a few days later to satisfy an obvious and base desire everyone shares.
You mentioned in passing a hypothesis that I think is adequate, namely that friends should be part of a social circle, while mates often come from another social circle. To explain dating sites, I don't think you need to go past this to talk about superficiality.
It must be hard going through a situation like your past. I hope things has turned for the better.
I agree. I moved about 18 months ago and I haven't been able to find any friends or should i say, anyone that I would like to have as a friend. I can't talk to my husband about issues that I can with a close friend and I really do miss having someone to talk with each day.
Now, you've heard the term friends are forever. Do not assume commitment isn't in friendships. Then you have levels and degrees of friendships along with types of friendships. Friend, good friend, special friend, Best friend. Of course Best friend is the ones you're closest to, trust the most and have more in common with. As you drop down one at a time you'll find if your best friend was not available and you wanted to do something or go somewhere your Special friends would come to mind. In no luck in the special friend choice your good friend would be chosen. We tend to use that word friend often wrongly. We call people friends who are truthfully acquaintances, associates, colleagues, or people we don't know that well. Friends should know us well enough that if they were out somewhere in a store they would spot an item and know whether we'd buy it or not. A Good friend Special friend or best friend is One soul inhabiting two bodies. I don't put a mate above a close friend. Mates come and go but as you've heard, "Friends are forever." Whether we move from NY to CA the friend may not follow but the tie isn't ever broken, we still keep in touch, visit time to time and always keep up with the lives of each other and come to help when needed. Whether single or married, no one's life is worth living if you do not have a Close Friend. You can make it through life without a mate but not without a friend. As people marry as we can see, mates come and they go. Married today and divorced later. Divorces do not happen between 2 Good Close Friends. Sad part about friends is there is usually a time to find them. In HS and College we usually find them without looking. As you run into people class after class term after term, you'll realize certain folks have a lot in common with you and you wind up talking to them more and more and being around them a lot. The friendship has formed but not by an aggressive search by you or them. The more you have in common the stronger the friendship will be. One common interest won't hold two people close together for long.
When moving to a new city, being retired, and out of the working world and school system finding friends is like trying to win a lotto. Its very very difficult. You dont' want to meet a person who just happens to like one thing that you like. You're looking for someone to be a part of your daily life. Shop with, talk to, watch movies with, go places with, etc...
I may be different from most of you but my thought is that the ONLY difference between a Friend and a Mate is the Sexual part. The Best friend, and the Mate are considered almost equal. But, you will have your romantic events, intercourse and such with the Mate not the friend. Thats the dividing line that allows me to consider this sexual person my mate and the non sexual one my friend.
For those of you who say online dating doesn't work- 1 in 5 american couples met online in 2010. It is still the fastest-growing method to meet someone.
And in response to this topic- there IS a FriendMatch! It's at www.friendmatch.us!It's free, so I invite you all to come for a visit! Ciao, Katie
First of all, stupid question: What about sites like friendfinder? Of course, indeed, all such matching systems are almost comically inadequate.
Networking into extended social circles is handy, for anyone who has that option. But do results accrue from the individual diligently working the social works the network, or how, if at all, any responsive social network actively seeks to provide the individual new introductions?
Also, yes it's a good point how alliance, also the terms, focus and quality thereof, all in all, is a crucially important dimension, far beyond the crass and Machiavellian. Supportive cooperation is essential to survival. Even love cannot conquer alliance stillborn. Alliance, readymade, is an aspect of heteronomy. Indeed, cliques of bullies ally very easily by simply pandering to one another's Sadism. But the good fight too, is doomed in lone struggle. And autonomy is simply distinct from self sufficiency. Notably, Ecclesiastes does not even trouble to compartmentalize alliance distinctly from emotional needs and bonds.
I understand you. I was there. Most of my friends left because they felt they brought more abuse on me, so therefore, I was left with nothing but the abusive partner. I turned to social networking to make friends; the virtual world where no one knew my situation and I could talk like I would to a close friend. I think friend sites for people in these situations or even those handicapped that cannot leave home are wonderful. I would not date from a dating site.
i have never responded to any site really, period.but my friends would always have me.whether i agreed with them or their actions. friends don't humiliate they give advice yet still care even if the advice wasn't taken.you no what? of course not. i am a 48 yo woman that has been in an abusive marriage for 8yrs.nobody wants to be a friend to that. i understand.but even still beyond the abuse u want to be free.i want to talk. about life issues.my beautiful grandkids,etc. i am lonely becuz i feel nobody wants to be friends with an abused person. i am normal beyond that. trust me give me a chance.
I met my wife over 10 years ago through a dating service. We're still very happily married, with 2 kids now. Finding a person you're willing to mate/date with is a completely different thing than finding someone you want to spend every day with for the rest of your life. Matching services work for some people in some circumstances because of the numbers involved. The more people you can meet, the better your chances of meeting someone you want to marry. Some people are just not in situations where they are meeting enough people in the potential husband/wife pool.
Example: Me at age 32 (12 years ago):1) Single male working in a very heavily male dominated business (I'd estimate %80 male employees) with little interaction between any coworkers (more than half work from home, everyone works alone, there are no "group projects"). Work is where a lot of people meet their future spouses.
2) Atheist, so meeting a future spouse at church is out. Church is a great place to meet people in the marrying pool.
3) Living far away from where I grew up and went to school. Friends from high school and college are a great source for meeting people in the marrying pool.
4) Non-drinker. Bars are out. Bars are another popular place for meeting people in the marrying pool.
Given those factors, at the time I was looking, I just wasn't meeting many people who I would consider as possible future spouses. Matching services give you basically a large number of people to meet. Meeting enough people greatly improves your odds of meeting the right person.
I heard in a TED talk recently that the average American has only 1.5 friends, and that this number is less than the ideal number for human flourishing. Assuming demand for friends is present (but some other factor, like ineptitude, lack of opportunity, or busyness is at work), a friend website could be successful.
1. If Robin keeps writing things like these, he should worry at least a little about what his wife will do with the body after the freezers take the head.
2. Are the comments sections here a form of friend finder?
3. We need a simian status analysis of Jay Thomas's post above.
I don't think the point is how much value you place on top friends as compared to a mate. The level of commitment is what is important. We make a greater commitment to our mates (share time, money, household tasks.) regardless of the relative value of that relationship. My wife followed me to New Jersey when igot anew job. My best friend did not. With the exception of commitment, how is a friend different from a mate?
I disagree with Robin. For reasonably attractive adults sex is pretty easy find if you go actively go looking for it and least in reasonably large cities. When I was single I found finding physically appealing people to have sex with FAR easier than finding the mental compatibility I was looking for. I had to meet a lot of people to find someone I fit together with as well as my wife. Sexual compatibility is a chunk of the equation but not anywhere near the whole deal.
I've been in bad relationships with good sex before. It doesnt come even close to being the whole deal.
People will try to find lovers on a website because it is a lot harder than making friends.
In my experience finding lovers (read: sex partners) is easier than finding friends. I think when you reach a certain age (I'm 31) most of one's friends will belong to a certain social group with pretty specific characteristics, unless you've perhaps known them since childhood, before one's identity has been fully formed.
If you're kind of a generalist (who works from home, too) then finding people with whom to continually hang out with is harder than getting some digits at a club and hooking up a few days later to satisfy an obvious and base desire everyone shares.
I'd go for friend match.
You mentioned in passing a hypothesis that I think is adequate, namely that friends should be part of a social circle, while mates often come from another social circle. To explain dating sites, I don't think you need to go past this to talk about superficiality.
The simplest explanation is the best: our friends share our sex whereas our mates are the opposite sex.