Predicting Compensation and Reciprocity of Bids for Sexual and/or Romantic Escalation in Cross-sex Friendships

• In Event: 'I never considered not sleeping with you a sacrifice': Physical attraction as a force for stability and change in cross-sex friendships

Abstract

With more opportunities available to men and women to interact, both professionally and personally (i.e., the workplace, educational setting, community), friendships with members of the opposite sex are becoming more common. Increasingly, researchers have noted that one facet that makes cross-sex friendships unique compared to other types of relationships (i.e. romantic love, same-sex friendships, familial relationships), is that there is the possibility and opportunity for a romantic or sexual relationship to manifest. Given that cross-sex friendships deal with a lot of ambiguity regarding the nature of the friendship, the researchers sought to uncover what factors determine whether parties reciprocate romantic or sexual interest or opt to remain platonic through the theoretical lens of interaction adaptation theory. Specifically, the researchers sought to determine what expectations and desires predict compensation or reciprocity of romantic or sexual desires. At a large Southeastern university, quantitative data were collected from 307 participants. The results indicated that of the variables, physical attraction and incompatibility were significant predictors of romantic reciprocation. In the case of 'friends with benefit' relationships, the results indicated that of the variables, physical attraction, attitudes toward casual sex, and sexual/romantic potential were significant predictors of sexual reciprocity. Explanations of results, limitations, and future research are discussed.

Authors

• Valerie Akbulut, University of Central Florida

• Harry Weger, University of Central Florida