Have you ever seen the movie “When Harry Met Sally”? It’s a classic romance film, and you should definitely watch it if you have the time. In that movie, Harry and Sally were best friends who fell in love with each other. There are no spoilers for the ending here, but you have to wonder whether dating a friend is a true secret to lasting love.

Research On Dating A Friend

A lot of experts say that in order for a relationship to work, the two people in it have to build a friendship. But, if the two people who fell in love were friends first, will it work out? The University of Texas seems to think so with their research. Upon reviewing their study, it said that the more you know a person, the more attractive this person becomes.

The same professors did another research, asking 167 couples if they’d known each other before becoming romantically linked. On average, most of the couples knew each other 4 months before any romance blossomed. And, 40% of the participants reported being friends before dating.

But, When Is It Time To Move Forward With Dating A Friend?

perhaps the tricky part to navigate around would be when to know when the right time would be to tell your friend that you want to go on a date. First, you have to watch out for signs of romantic feelings. Does your friend ever get jealous when you say that you have gone on a date? If yes, continue with these tips:

• Find the right time to come clean.
• Forget about making a big romantic gesture. That just happens in romantic comedies.
• Remember that your friendship will never be the same so you have to be willing to take the risk if you truly love the person.

In most cases, friends keep their feelings to themselves because they don’t want to ruin the dynamics of the non-romantic relationship. However, experts agree that it is not the way to go especially when the person who has fallen is in agony everyday for hiding his or her feelings. Take the risk. For more dating and relationship tips, read other posts on the blog.