[nyedrytdyf]

is that how it actually ends up going down though? a romantic relationship has so many other variables to consider, and the dynamic is far different: you live with this person; eventually, in most cases, you pledge to live with them forever; you are sexually involved with this person; they are your "ONE" person designated as most important (this doesn't really happen with friends, at least not officially); you might raise a child together, a massive responsibility to which mutual responsibilities undertaken with friends hardly compare.

i think that our innate evolutionary heuristic for finding a romantic partner is quite different from that which is used to find friends and this difference definitely impacts who we select. it seems naive to assume that the majority of romantic relationships are simply opposite-sex friends who are roommates that have sex. at least when we look at romantic relationships that last a while.

i want to believe it's that simple, but i have a hard time doing so.