Wow: you lose so many friends when you fall in love

If you've ever had the luck of falling head over heels in love, then you recognize this: you can't think of anything else, your concentration has completely flown out the window, and all you want is to be together. Naturally, because the substance that makes you feel in love is most present during the moments you spend together with your sweetheart. However, you need to be careful; according to a study from Oxford University, this can cost you friends.

Researcher Robin Dunbar explains how this works: ‘Most people have five close friendships, but people in a romantic relationship often have only four. Considering that one of those four is the new person who has come into your life, this means that on average you have had to give up two friendships.’

In general, people in love give up two important people in their lives to prioritize their relationship more. Now you might think that you would never feel guilty about this, but it is easier than you think to let your contacts fade away. Here's how it works: the level of intimacy in a relationship, or how emotionally connected you are with each other, is strongly related to how often you spend time with that person. If you see each other less often, emotional involvement decreases, and this happens quite quickly. This is because you are so focused on your romantic partner that you don't give enough attention to the other people around you. As a result, some of those other relationships begin to deteriorate slowly.

Not very pleasant, this aspect of falling in love. Do you want to avoid this at all costs? Then make sure you pay a bit more attention to maintaining your friendships than just focusing on your new partner, and everything should be fine.

Source: BBC