6 Rules for Being Friends with Benefits

Heart
Dot
Multiple Blue Rings

Be honest

Be open and honest with your FWB partner. You must tell your partner if you “catch feelings,” for example. Being transparent about your expectations and feelings is paramount so that everyone is on the same page

Dot
Multiple Blue Rings

Restrict your feelings

Dot

In other words, keep your feelings to yourself. For some FWB relationships, you should withhold your expectations and feelings. For example, some people believe that you shouldn’t get jealous, and if you do, don’t talk about i

Multiple Blue Rings

No cheating

Even though the stereotypical nature of a FWB is not exclusive, some participants in the study reported rules about being monogamous. Participants with this rule believe that even though you are not committed to each other romantically, you are not allowed to sleep with anyone else

Dot
Multiple Blue Rings

You can sleep with other people

In complete contradiction to the previous rule, a subset of participants in the study said that they are allowed to have sex with other people outside of their FWB relationship

Dot

This rule varied and is bound by contextual factors. For example, some people reported that you are only allowed to hook up after drinking, you must leave immediately after sex,

Multiple Blue Rings

Sex rules

Dot
Multiple Blue Rings

Relationship clarification

The last rule dictates that it should be made clear when you want to date someone else, if you’ve already started forming a relationship with someone else, and to clarify the casual nature of the relationship.

Dot