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I Love My Best Friend: The Difference Between Friend Love And Something More

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Updated September 04, 2018

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Love and friendship are two concepts that have more similarities than you would think, but they also can be worlds apart. This sounds contradictory, but it's just the way human nature is. Let's break this down and explain why.

What Friendship And Love Have In Common

Friendship and love have one giant trait that makes them closer than you think: intimacy. Intimacy is the emotional connection you feel with someone and makes the difference between a friend and an acquaintance. An acquaintance is someone you may have a conversation with and may have a few drinks with, but they're not going to be someone you talk to whenever you're feeling down about yourself, or just need a shoulder to cry on.

Meanwhile, a friend is someone you want to be around as often as possible. They're someone you can open your feelings to, and they're a person you can stay a long time with and never get bored or tired of them.

Love and friendship both share this intimacy. A romantic relationship isn't going to last if there is no intimate connection. Your love is often your best friend for a reason.

Then, there's commitment. Commitment is quite important in a romantic relationship. The two of you have a similar goal, and you want to commit to achieving it. You may move in, start a family, build up your finances, and so on. This allows you to achieve your goals much easier than you would if you were just alone.

Friendship may have some form of commitment. Often, your friend can be your roommate, and there are many goals you may want to accomplish with your friend. With that said, commitment doesn't necessarily need to be there for a great friendship. Some friends live entirely different lives but still talk to each other and catch up.

The Difference Between Love And Friendship

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True love involves commitment and intimacy, which friendships can have, but also involves a romantic attraction. You find yourself sexually attracted to this person. They make the butterflies in your stomach go wild, and they release chemicals in your brain that make you want to do anything for them. This is a sign of love.

While passion goes down after the honeymoon stage, a great relationship will still have some kind of passion in it.

However, some friendships can be sexual. We all know of friends with benefits, where friends can have sex with each other, but still have no strings attached, theoretically speaking. However, these relationships tend to lack commitment, and while there may be an intimate connection, it isn't as strong as love would be.

How To Tell If Your Friend Loves You

Friendship can blossom into something more. We've seen it time and time again, where two people start off as friends but then end up being in a relationship. There's a good reason why great couples consider their partners their best friends. If you couldn't be their friend if you weren't in a relationship, the friendship has nothing.

It's hard to tell the difference between romance and platonic friendship. A platonic friendship involves the two of you having a close emotional bond, but no romance. Here are some ways you can tell if your friendship is a little more.

You Get Jealous

If you have no romantic attachment to your friend, you're not going to experience strong jealousy if they get in a relationship. You may feel some slight jealousy, or fear that the romantic partner is going to distract your friend from hanging out with you. But if you have strong feelings for that friend, you're going to be hardcore jealous. Your subconscious may think that now they are in a relationship, you no longer have the chance to admit your feelings. You may feel some regret, and wished you would have expressed your emotions sooner.

When they do break up with their partner, you feel relief, and you may think you should express your emotions. However, something prevents you from doing so. It may be the fact that it's too soon for them to be in another relationship, so you wait until things settle down. Then they get into another relationship, and the cycle starts.

You Can't Stop Thinking About Them

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A good friend is going to be on your mind for a while. You have an intimate bond with them, after all. With that said, it's a bit odd if you are always thinking about this friend and you just can't stop. Love is when that person is always on their mind, no matter what.

Be mindful of your thoughts. Write down how often you think about your friend, and decide if it's a sign of true love or just normal thoughts.

You're Sexually Attracted To Them

If you want to have sex with your friend, it's definitely not a platonic friendship. A platonic friendship has no sexual attraction whatsoever. With that said, you can be sexually attracted to someone and not have any romantic bonds with them. However, if your desire to have sex with them is combined with any of the above, it may be proof that you see your friend as a little more than just a friend.

You Talk About Them A Lot

Whenever you're talking to your friends or other people in your life, you normally don't bring someone up all the time if they're just a friend. However, if you're constantly finding yourself mentioning your friend, and the people you talk to even bring this fact up, then there's a chance that you're in love with this person, and you need to be able to express your feelings.

You Have Funny Feelings Around Them

The anxiety you feel while being in love is quite observable, and for a good reason. You may feel butterflies in your stomach, or feel a deep pit in your tummy whenever they're gone. These odd sensations may be a sign of romantic attraction.

What Next?

If you do love your friend, what should your next move be? Let's look at the possible outcomes.

They Just See You As A Friend

Unrequited love is when you have romantic feelings for a friend, but they don't feel the same way. This outcome can be awkward, and a little disappointing. A friend isn't obligated to love you back, but if you had feelings, it could shatter them into pieces.

In the perfect world, you would just say "Okay," once learning the news and continue your friendship. But this admission can make your friendship awkward. One solution is to give your friend some space. Go on dates, find other people to be in a relationship with, and get your friend off your mind. Return later when the feelings are gone. You can continue the friendship with no problem.

They Do Like You Back

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There are some ways to find out whether or not someone likes you back, but other times, it's hard to tell. The body language your friend uses can indicate whether they like you. If they look you in the eyes, like being close, and talk to you all the time as well, this may be proof they love you back. If both of your feelings are mutual, then great. You have a relationship that may last for a long time.

Of course, it's hard to tell sometimes. You may get mixed signals or no signals at all. This may make it hard for you to make a move, and this will cause you to.

Not Say Anything

Some people just won't admit they like their friends and will continue the friendship as normal. The passion may dwindle over time, or it may become bottled up to the point of explosion. Either way, not admitting your feelings can mess you up in the long run.

In Conclusion

Friendship and romantic relationship are similar, yet oh so different, and figuring out whether or not someone loves you, or just sees you as a friend, is hard. A romance that started off as a great friendship can be one that lasts for a long time. However, if you have been friends for a long time, that may make it harder to transition to a relationship. Someone sees you as a good friend and doesn't want to lose you by transitioning into something that is more fragile.

The point is: relationships are complicated. If you want to know if your friendship is more than just love, or if you need advice on how to manage your relationship, seeking counseling is the next move you should take. A relationship therapist can help make sense of your feelings, teach you how to express your emotions to your friend, and help manage the relationship as it blossoms.

Your best friend can end up being your partner for life, but making the first move is hard. By looking for the signs, you can transition smoothly from a friendship to a love that will last forever