Why your best friend is keeping you single

On first arrival at university you feel the same as everyone else; lost, moderately disowned by your parents and pretty damn scared of what the next three years or more has in hold for you. Cue the best friend slot. The new friends you make will be your adopted family, the family you got to choose, your best friends and partners in crime. Most likely you’ll form the strongest and most important bond at university with one of these, that inevitable and dangerous ‘best friendship.’

This best friend seems great at first. You can expose all your secrets to them, you can trust them, you can share all your hopes and dreams with them. They’re the person you love, laugh and cry with, and the one person you feel you can completely rely on, who will always be there. However, there’s another lonelier side effect of this best friendship.

This side effect usually reveals itself when you meet someone new and attractive at a party and immediately begin to click.

It’s going well, you spend more time together and the beginnings of a relationship start to develop. You can’t wait to show this person off to your best friend. To help judge them, to envy your luck and to share in your happiness. However, something is wrong, the person whose opinion matters most to you is the wrong one. They say:

“They’re not right for you,”

“I don’t think you click,”

“I just don’t trust him,”

“I’ve heard stories,”

“I just don’t see it,”

And suddenly a tiny seed of doubt forms in your mind. After all, your best friend wants the best for you. Surely they are just a reflection of a more sensible, rational, less emotional you; their opinions must be taken on board.

Together you analyse every moment, and an “I’m busy tonight,” translates into images of your one true love sleeping with someone else. A day without a message? They’re spending time with someone else. Together you rip your own relationship to shreds. And what started out as something really great filters out to nothing.

When you’re upset about being alone, your best friend is around to cheer you up. You don’t need anyone else as you’re happy just the two of you together, you and your best friend! So don’t screw the guy, ditch the girl and stick with your best bud!

After all, why would you need anyone else with a best friend like this?