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Why you can totally fall in 'friendship' at first sight

Science says women are more likely to experience instant 'friendship chemistry' [Photo: Getty]
Turns out you can totally fall in friendship at first sight [Photo: Getty]

Whether it’s an eye roll performed at the exact same time, a mutual appreciation of each others’ outfit or an unexplained feeling that she’s just a bit of you, when you meet some people for the very first time, somehow you just know you’re going to get along.

Turns out, that just like falling in love, you can totally fall in friendship at first sight and science has the proof.

According to several studies, and recently highlighted by New York Magazine, that instant bond you can form with a potential mate is every bit as real as having instant chemistry with a date.

In one study published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, researchers paired up students in their first year of college to have a conversation, then recorded whether they were friends after a few months. Unsurprisingly, people who clicked straight away were more likely to be mates down the line. But the study authors didn’t think the initial friendship spark necessarily indicated long-term compatibility. Instead, it just motivated people to actively invest in their relationships.

Science says women are more likely to experience instant 'friendship chemistry' [Photo: Getty]
Science says women are more likely to experience instant ‘friendship chemistry’ [Photo: Getty]

Another study reveals that there could be a pattern to who might experience this friendship chemistry and it’s all to do with your personality. The Social Science Journal reveals that agreeable, conscientious, and open people are, unsurprisingly, most likely to say they’ve felt a strong first chemistry with a potential new mate. Women are also more likely than men to experience it, which researchers chalk up to the fact that women rely on their intuition and emotions more than men when it comes to meeting new people.

So it seems that for many of us, forming a new friendship is a little like starting a new relationship. Sure, you won’t be able to work out exactly how things might pan out with regards to your friendship. You might discover further down the line that you’re not on the same personality page after all. But that feeling of being inexplicably drawn to someone at your very first meeting, provides the seed of something that could well develop into true BFF-dom. Bless.

Have you ever fallen in friendship at first sight? Let us know @YahooStyleUK

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