cover of episode romance vs friendship, advice session

romance vs friendship, advice session

2025/5/25
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anything goes with emma chamberlain

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Emma Chamberlain
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Emma Chamberlain: 我理解你对男友与女性朋友过于亲密感到不舒服。这种感觉很常见,甚至可以说是生物本能。我们天生会对伴侣产生保护欲,尤其当他们的朋友是潜在的吸引对象时。虽然理想状态下,我们应该对伴侣的这种友谊感到自在,但这并不容易。大多数人都不喜欢伴侣与他们可能会发生性关系的人交往。不过,我认为纯友谊是存在的,即使双方在某种程度上互相吸引。所以,首先,你不应该为此感到内疚。这种保护欲、怀疑和担忧都是正常的。关键在于你如何处理这些情绪。你无法控制自己的感受,但可以控制自己的行为。你有几个选择:一是坦诚地与伴侣沟通,表达你的不适,并一起寻找解决方案;二是进行自我反思,找出这种不适感的根源,可能是源于过去的信任问题或自尊心不足。你可以先理清自己的思绪,然后再与伴侣沟通,这样可以避免误解。无论你选择哪种方式,都要记住,共同寻找解决方案才是最重要的。

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It's common to feel protective of your partner, especially if they have close friends of the opposite gender. The podcast explores whether this feeling is innate or stems from insecurities. It offers two approaches: confronting your partner directly or doing some soul-searching first to understand your feelings better.
  • Feeling protective of a partner's friendships with those they could be attracted to is a common experience.
  • Two approaches to handling the situation are suggested: direct confrontation or self-reflection.
  • The importance of self-esteem and trust in a relationship's security is highlighted.

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Hey there, and welcome back to Advice Session, a series here on Anything Goes where you send in your current dilemmas or anything, and I mean anything, you want advice on. And then I give you my own professional advice. And today's topic is the complicated relationship between romance and friendship, okay? Whether you're dating your friend of five years or you hate your significant other's best friends,

there's like a weird, complicated relationship between friendship and romance. There just is. It's messy for some reason. And so that's what we're going to be diving into today. So I guess without further ado, let's begin. I briefly paused this episode to let you know that this episode is brought to you by eBay. We all have that piece. You know the one, the thing that's so you, you've basically become known for it. And if you don't have yours yet,

You'll find it on eBay. Let me put you on, people. eBay is where you'll find those one-of-a-kind, can't-stop-researching, stay-up-dreaming-about pieces again and again. I'm talking about that Miu Miu off-the-runway red leather bomber, that Cousteau Barcelona top with the cowboy on it, or that fleece in the 2017 colorway. All of these finds are on eBay. They even offer millions of main character pieces backed by Authenticity Guarantee.

eBay is the place for pre-loved in vintage fashion. eBay, things people love. Now let's get back to the episode. Somebody said, my boyfriend has a female bestie. She's married and has a family, but their friendship still feels too close for my comfort. What do I do?

This is tough because I think it's almost biological or something for us to get protective over our significant others when they're friends with someone who technically they could be attracted to. Like from my experience with that, it almost feels innate in like inevitable.

In an ideal world, we would feel comfortable with our significant others being friends with somebody who they could technically be attracted to, right? I think we all would love to reach that level of security in ourselves and our relationships, right?

confidence in ourselves and our relationships. But I think for most of us, majority of the time, this is an uncomfortable situation. We don't like when our significant others have friends that they could technically have sex with. Well, we could have sex with anyone, but you get what I'm saying. Like they would be down to have sex with, right? It's not ideal. However, we can be platonic friends with people who,

that we could also technically be physically attracted to, right? This is just a fact. Some people disagree with me on that. Some people are pretty adamant about believing that

relationships between two people who could technically be attracted to each other, there's usually some sort of sexual undertone. Some people really believe that. I do believe, because I've experienced this, that, you know, like I've been friends with straight men before and it been completely platonic on my end and honestly on their end as well.

Maybe deep down they had a little crush on me, but they didn't make it clear and everything was fine. So I do think it's possible. Some people disagree with me on that. I think it's possible. Listen, okay, to start, you shouldn't feel guilty. If you are feeling guilty, listen.

about how you feel, you shouldn't. Okay. As I just mentioned, I think this is sort of a biological thing. This feeling of protectiveness, of skepticism, of, you know, feeling like, wait, are they going to end up falling in love with that person and leaving me for them? Like, I think that that's normal and natural, but it's what you do about those feelings that

that matters. It's what you do about those feelings that you have control over. You don't have control over the way you feel. If that feels threatening and uncomfortable for you, you can't control that. You know what I'm saying? That's how you feel. So now you have to figure out what you're going to do. I think you have a few options here. Number one, you could confront your partner and just be completely honest and say, listen,

This friendship makes me uncomfortable. I don't really know what to do because you both are friends and I can't really stop you both from being friends, but...

It really bothers me. It makes me uncomfortable. And let's come up with a solution together because I don't really have the answer. Okay. That's the first and probably best option. You present the problem and say, listen, I don't know how to solve this. What are you comfortable with? What do you think we should do? And kind of leave it in your partner's court in a way.

So that's option number one. Option number two, I would say, would be to do a bit of soul searching. Don't necessarily bring it up immediately. Try to figure out why this bothers you so much. Do you think it's just...

sort of innate biological protectiveness? Or do you think that you have some sort of underlying trust issues, perhaps from a past relationship that's now coming up here in a way that's irrational? Or do you think that maybe you're struggling with your self-esteem? And I'm not saying that in a rude or derogatory way towards you. I've experienced this a trillion times. It's very normal. But if our self-esteem is low, we can sometimes struggle

look at somebody who we might vaguely deem as competition, you know, this married woman who's friends with your boyfriend and sort of take out our insecurity on that person in a way. Is it that? It might make sense to do a little bit of soul searching and figure out where it's coming from

And if you discover, oh, wait, I think I have some stuff that I need to work out, then that's what you do to handle it, right? You don't necessarily need to bring it up. Because I think, listen, I'm always all about communication. My immediate suggestion is almost always going to be bring it up, talk through it with your partner. But there are moments in relationships where it can be nice to figure yourself out first before you go and have a conversation. Right?

Because it can sometimes be sort of confusing for your partner, perhaps, if you go to them with sort of an underdeveloped point of view and then they get confused and they're maybe misreading where you're coming from. It can be complicated. It can be really nice to sort of figure yourself out first. And a lot of times that will give you a clearer direction of what to do, you know, like you

You can bring it up right away and just knock it out. But you could also look inward first and then let that guide your decision. I think both approaches work. I think the difference between the two approaches is that the first approach, just bringing it up and saying, listen, I'm uncomfortable and it doesn't really matter why I'm uncomfortable. And let's figure this out. What do you think we should do?

that's good because I think working together to figure out a solution is really helpful, but there's definitely a bit less soul searching in that. And so I think only you can decide if the soul searching is necessary. And if you think it is, then option two works better for you, where it's like, okay, I'm going to figure out what's bothering me first, why it's bothering me. Is it rational or is it a bit irrational? And then make

Take the next step from there. Either resolve it on your own or bring it up, depending on what you discover. This episode is brought to you by Squarespace. If you ever wanted to create a custom website, say for yourself or a business idea, Squarespace makes it easier than ever.

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Get it now at chatgpt.com slash students. Restrictions apply. Okay, next. Somebody said, I don't like my boyfriend's best friend. We're in a friend group where we're all couples. I never got along with his bestie that well, but it was okay for a while. Overall, he's not a nice guy though. He's mean to me and to his girlfriend, and I think he's kind of misogynistic. The other day, he was rude to me and I cried about it.

How do I go about this situation? If he weren't my boyfriend's best friend, I would never want to see him again. What do I tell my boyfriend? This is my opinion. I think you don't talk to your boyfriend about anything. I think you talk to this boy. Okay, I think you talk to your boyfriend's best friend. I think you need to confront him. Listen, is it kind of a red flag that your boyfriend is friends with an asshole?

Yes. But, you know, I don't know how much your boyfriend knows. Like, is your boyfriend seeing him be mean to you and his girlfriend? You know, I don't know. Like, I don't know the full story. So I'd like to believe he's not seeing that with his own two eyes.

and just saying it's all right. You know, like I'd like to believe if he saw that with his own two eyes, he would stand up for you and ideally even the girlfriend as well. But assuming that he's not fully aware of what's going on, I think it makes most sense to confront your boyfriend's best friend because he's really the problem. Okay. And you're all in a friend group and

It's like, imagine you were in this friend group and your boyfriend wasn't present, right? Obviously, I know you said that if you weren't with your boyfriend, you'd never want to see this guy again. But you're in a big friend group with a lot of people that I bet you really enjoy. Otherwise, you wouldn't be friends with them. So imagine you were in this friend group and your boyfriend wasn't present. What would you do? You'd have no one to complain to. You'd have to just go and

to this person and say, hey, you're an asshole. You know, like we need to figure this out. Listen, that's not what you should say, but you get what I'm saying. Like kind of take your boyfriend out of the equation for a second because it really isn't about your boyfriend. It's really about your relationship with this boy who sucks, who's mean, right? My suggestion would be, and listen, I know this is uncomfortable, but

In a friend group, sometimes this is what has to be done. Okay. I would say confront this boy and say, listen, I enjoy being in this friend group. Obviously, my boyfriend's your best friend. Being around you is tough for me because I find that you're constantly disrespecting me. I mean, you're also disrespecting your girlfriend, which makes me upset. And you're just overall not a nice guy. And like, I really want...

to have a strong friendship with you. And I really want to get along with you because not only do I love my boyfriend and I want to, you know, support him, but also because we're all in a friend group together and life is more fun when we can all have fun together. So I just want to understand what's going on. A lot of times people are assholes because it's a defense mechanism. They're hurting. There's a good chance that for whatever, somehow, for whatever reason, this boy's hurting.

And I mean, listen, is he going to open up to you? Probably not. But in a way being like, what's going on? You know, like, are you OK? Why are you acting like this? Why are you treating people like this? Not only is it hurting others, but it's a sign that you're hurting, that you are hurting. You know, what's going on? If you can ask him what's going on and try to the best of your ability to be a little empathetic with him.

you'd be shocked at how much that can soften a person up. And the truth is, if you don't confront him, it's clear his girlfriend's not doing it. Like no one will. Somebody has to confront him if he's being an asshole. And it's the right thing to do to tell him what's up and say, you can't act like this. It's horrible to be around. And it's clear that something's bothering you. What's going on? Like, I really think that that's the right thing to do.

Now, if this goes well, problem solved. You know, you can start to develop a friendship with this guy. Hopefully it'll soften him up. Maybe it'll wake him up to his evil demeanor and he'll maybe even start being nicer to his girlfriend. Like, who knows? You know, it's crazy what can come from gentle confrontation, right? Sometimes people just need to be confronted and humbled in a way and it'll change everything.

But there's also a chance that that won't work out. Okay, so what happens if you confront him and he continues to treat you and his girlfriend like shit and he continues to just be horrible to be around? What do you do? I think at that point, it does make sense to talk to your boyfriend and be like, listen, I don't know what to do because your best friend is horrible to be around. Being around him puts me in a bad mood. I don't know that I can hang out with this group of friends anymore because

Like, I want to be able to have this group of friends with you, but it's so miserable because of this guy. And I've tried to confront him and I'm just stuck at this point. I don't really want to be a part of this friend group anymore, but also I love you. And so I want to hang out with your friends and our friends. Like, I'm stuck. What do you think I should do?

similar to my last piece of advice for the first dilemma that we discussed, I think it's totally okay to confront your partner and say, listen, here's the problem. Now, help me come up with a solution, you know, because sometimes

Whenever you're having challenges in a relationship, there are two people involved. And I don't always think it makes sense to come up with a solution on your own. Like if you're having a problem with your significant other and then you go hide out in your bedroom and come up with a solution, then come out to the kitchen and say, hey, here's the solution.

That doesn't always work because, again, there's two people in the relationship. I think the best solution is found collaboratively a lot of times, unless you know for sure what you need. Right. But sometimes we don't know. And in this situation, you don't know how to go about it. You don't know how to solve it. You're conflicted. You're confused. So I think it can be really helpful to go to your partner and say, what should we do? You know?

I can't keep going on like this. We need to figure out a solution. What do you think? And, you know, hopefully you both can can find a happy solution where both of you are getting what you need. You know, like if your boyfriend really needs to be friends with this guy, then maybe it means that he goes and hangs out with that guy without you.

Maybe your boyfriend decides that he's going to have a serious conversation with his friend. And if his friend doesn't improve his behavior, he's going to end the friendship. Like, but it's impossible for me to give advice on what that is. Only you two can decide. But I do really think you should try to confront the friend first. Okay, next. Somebody said, my partner wants me to be friends with one of his friends that I really don't like. And they trigger me badly.

How do we get through this? Well, we're not going to like everyone in our partner's lives. Okay. It's kind of inevitable that there's going to be someone in our partner's lives that we just don't get along with. It might be a sibling. It might be a family member. It might be a friend. This is inevitable. Now, it is important to find a way to coexist, right?

It's definitely not healthy to dislike someone in your partner's life so much to the point that you can't even be around each other. Right. Like, let's say, well, in this case, you know, you really don't like your boyfriend's friend. Ideally, you can get to a place where you can at least coexist. So, for example, at your boyfriend's birthday party,

It's not like the whole evening is ruined because you guys hate each other. Right. That's not fair to your partner. And again, it's sort of inevitable that you're not going to like everyone in your partner's life. So you kind of have to figure out a way to coexist. So I think I would suggest that you try to find it in yourself first.

to find a way to coexist with this person when you absolutely have to, when it's your partner's birthday, when, you know, your partner's really excited about a football game and invites you and his friends to this football game. And it's really important to him that everybody's there because he loves this football team and he just wants everybody to be, to be together, whatever. Like, I do think that it's important to respect that for,

for the sake of your boyfriend. However, I don't think you need to be friends with your boyfriend's friend, okay?

It'd be one thing if your boyfriend was saying like, hey, can we find a way to coexist? I think that's a fair request. You know, sometimes we have to compromise, sacrifice and deal with unfortunate shit in relationships. Like it's inevitable when two people are involved with each other. Complicated things always arise and we have to sometimes just deal with it because that's a part of being in a relationship.

Co-existing is a fair request. Being friends, I think that's something you can't force. Like he can't ask you to be friends with his friend. Unfortunately, friendship can't be forced. You're either clicking with someone or you're not. And so if you're not clicking with someone, you can definitely find a way to coexist. Everyone can coexist, but you can't force that friendship. And I think that that's what you need to tell your boyfriend. You need to be like, listen, I'm

I'm going to make it a priority to be able to coexist with him in a way that doesn't cause any grief or upset for you. Right. When we're all together because something is happening, an event is occurring where you want everyone all together, all your loved ones all together. I will show up and I will find a way to keep the spirits up and keep my distance from him. Like I'll manage that situation. Right. Right.

but I can't force friendship and I don't click with this person. And I'm sorry, like I wish I would love to be friends with him, but we just don't click. And so you can tell your boyfriend having our relationships be separate, right? Having your friendship with your best friend be separate from my relationship with you, my boyfriend is going to be crucial because I just do not like this person. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. And that's totally fine. You don't have to like everyone in your partner's life.

But see, it's a bit tricky, right? Because it's like, I do think there's a huge difference between coexisting and being friends. And I think sometimes that can be a bit confusing to people. You know, it can be a bit confusing to distinguish. But I think clarifying and distinguishing the difference to your partner and basically laying out on the table what you're able to do and what you're not

I think is the best that you can do. And, you know, again, you can remind your partner, this is a normal part of relationships. We have to make compromises. We have to sometimes deal with shit that isn't ideal. But, you know, you can say to your partner, I love you. I'm willing to do it to this extent. And I hope you're cool with that. You know, I briefly pause this episode to let you know that this episode is brought to you by Hotels.com.

I love to travel and I love staying at hotels. There's nothing I love more than walking into a fresh, clean hotel room

and just absolutely exploding in it. Okay, putting all my skincare in the bathroom, hanging all my clothes up in the closet, and really making myself feel at home. I also love going down in the morning for a buffet breakfast. But booking the right hotel can be hard work if you don't know where to look. Whether I'm traveling for work or for fun, I'm always looking for the best hacks and perks. And if you're like me, let me tell you, the easiest way to book is with Hotels.com.

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Somebody said, my boyfriend and Bestie do not get along. I have no idea how to navigate this situation. I love them both so much. Again, I mean, as I just discussed, right? Like, unfortunately, friendship cannot be forced. It's almost something that goes even beyond the human level. It's almost sort of spiritual. I feel like who we click with

on any level, friendship, romantic, whatever, is almost out of our control. I can't tell you how many people have disliked me for no reason and vice versa. I can't tell you how many people I've disliked for no reason. It's just, I don't even know how to explain it. It's like an energy thing. You know, sometimes people just don't click and it's,

I think the worst thing you can do is try to force that in any capacity. Now, listen, I understand it is really challenging to have your inner circle not click, right? It sucks. But I think similar to the last piece of advice I gave for the last sort of dilemma, you can't ask them to be friends because again, like that's just...

impossible to force, but you can ask them to coexist. You can say, listen, I get it. You guys don't like each other. Now, listen, I suggest that you have these conversations separately with the two of them. Okay. Don't bring them both in the same room. That's a little, that's not good, but have two separate conversations and say, listen,

I'm not going to force you both to be friends. I am not going to force you both to be in the same room more than necessary. But there are going to be moments when it's my birthday. You know, I have a dance performance. I don't know what you do. Okay. But you get what I'm saying? Like, there are going to be moments when...

You both are going to need to coexist. And I just politely and respectfully ask you both to figure it out, you know. And I think when it comes to your own feelings, right, in addition to this sort of conversation, you kind of have to accept the fact that not everyone is going to be friends, you know, and maybe that's a deal breaker for you.

in friendship or in romantic relationship, it might be a deal breaker for you. And that might be something that you discover through this experience. It might be so miserable for you that they're not friends that you might have to end one of the relationships.

That happens sometimes. But listen, there's also a chance that like give it five years and they could grow on each other and end up liking each other. You never know. But I think in the meantime, you know, have that conversation and try to figure out if this is a deal breaker for you. And if it's not, then slowly but surely come to terms with the fact that friendship can't be forced.

Okay, next. Somebody said, I'm in an uncomfortable situation with my best friend. We loved each other at different times and kind of never got on the same page. Can we even salvage the friendship? I absolutely think you can salvage the friendship, to be honest. Listen, it does get really complicated the second a friendship turns romantic. Ugh.

it gets tricky. And it can be incredible because I think friendship is obviously the most important foundational element of a romantic relationship. So I think it's great to be friends first. You know, I haven't done that very many times, but I always give that advice because I think it's incredible, you know, to be platonic for a bit, I think can be really helpful and

Anyway, but that's not the point of this. That's a tangent. I'm off on a tangent. The question is, can you salvage the friendship if you both were sort of in love with each other at different times? I think yes. I think the key to this is communication.

Truly, I think more than ever, you two need to be open books with each other. And I think it starts with a sit down, a dinner, a coffee date, a something where you just lay it all out on the table. Okay. You talk about how you used to feel. You talk about how you feel now. You ask them how they used to feel, how they feel now. And together you figure out how

how you can be friends again. You know, does it mean that romance between the two of you is off the table? Maybe that's a boundary in the friendship just because, you know, you know that you both are prone to having romantic feelings towards each other, but because it's,

never worked in the past. Maybe you both are like, you know what? I don't want to be romantic with this person. I just want to be friends. I love our friendship. I cherish our friendship. That's all I want it to be. You know, maybe that's a boundary that you both can establish. Or maybe it's like, you know what? We don't want that boundary, actually. Maybe you both decide together, like, let's just take it one day at a time. Let's start out being friends and we'll just see where it goes. Like if...

someone starts to develop feelings, like we'll be honest with each other and go from there. I really do think it can be salvaged. I think through communication, understanding where you both are at and together coming up with like kind of building the terms of your friendship moving forward. I think that

can absolutely be possible. I do think it's a bit complicated if one of you is still in love with the other, or maybe you both are still a little in love with each other. In that case, it's almost like just go on a date. You know what I mean? Or start hanging out again. And if the feelings become overwhelming, confess your love. It's tough. I will say, I get what you mean. It's tough because there were so many complicated emotions in the past.

those emotions might come back. They might even still somewhat be present. Well, to me though, I'm thinking about it and I'm like, if you both have been sort of in love with each other, why don't you give it a chance? Like go on a date, you know, like give it a go.

unless I guess one of you or both of you are in new romantic relationships, then it's a bit more complicated because now you're, you know, introducing the emotions of both of your partners or one of your partners, if you, if not both of you are in relationships. Now you have to consider, okay, is this significant other okay with this friendship that did have a bit of

romantic undertones to it, you know, now there's an added level of complication. But if you both are single, the friendship can absolutely be salvaged. And listen, I wouldn't close yourself off to the potential for romance. Like, why not? I don't know. Like, what's wrong with that? There's nothing to be afraid of. Commitment is beautiful, people. I guess my final conclusion would be

Yes, you can be friends again, but I think you just need to communicate and everybody's feelings need to be considered. You know, both of your feelings need to be considered. If there are now new significant others in the picture, their feelings need to be considered. I think as long as everyone's on the same page and everyone's comfortable with the terms of the friendship, yes, you

You can absolutely continue to be friends. But I think it gets complicated when there are things that aren't being discussed. There's like an elephant in the room. That's when it's uncomfortable to continue being friends. Because then you're like hanging out and you're like, do they like me still? Like, do I like them still? Yeah.

This is kind of awkward. Like then it just, it's like, it's, it's not, you can't do it. You know what I mean? It's really uncomfortable. You have to be open books with each other. And you know, what's actually beautiful about that, that experience will make the friendship deeper. Anytime there's sort of a rift in a relationship, getting through it makes the relationship so much stronger. So I think if you both can get through this,

You might end up on the other end with a super strong, beautiful friendship or maybe even a really deep, meaningful, romantic connection. Who knows? You know, I wouldn't close yourself off to either. I don't know. I briefly paused this episode to let you know that this episode is brought to you by Hotels.com. I love to travel and I love staying at hotels. There's nothing I love more than walking into a fresh, clean hotel room and

and just absolutely exploding in it, okay? Putting all my skincare in the bathroom, hanging all my clothes up in the closet, and really making myself feel at home. I also love going down in the morning for a buffet breakfast. But booking the right hotel can be hard work if you don't know where to look. Whether I'm traveling for work or for fun, I'm always looking for the best hacks and perks. And if you're like me, let me tell you, the easiest way to book is with Hotels.com.

Members save up to 20% and earn rewards on every stay. In the money I save on the hotel, I can spend on going out to dinner, maybe doing a little bit of shopping at the hotel gift shop. You know what I mean? Like this could be you if you sign up at hotels.com. Become a member for free and save on hundreds of thousands of hotels at hotels.com. Now let's get back to the episode. This episode is brought to you by eBay.

We all have that piece. You know the one. The thing that's so you, you've basically become known for it. And if you don't have yours yet, you'll find it on eBay. Let me put you on, people. eBay is where you'll find those one-of-a-kind, can't-stop-researching, stay-up-dreaming-about pieces again and again. I'm talking about that Miu Miu off-the-runway red leather bomber, that Cousteau Barcelona top with the cowboy on it, or that fleece in the 2017 colorway.

All of these finds are on eBay. They even offer millions of main character pieces backed by authenticity guarantee. eBay is the place for pre-loved in vintage fashion. eBay, things people love. This episode is brought to you by Temptations Cat Treats.

If there's one thing I know how to do, it's spoil my cats. And trust me when I say that your furry best friend won't be able to resist the creamy texture of Temptation's creamy purr-ay.

and Temptations Lickable Spoon Cat Treats. Great for adult and senior cats, these treats are the perfect way to make mealtime or anytime extra special. Visit TemptationsTreats.com to learn more. This episode is brought to you by FX.

It's finally here. The new FX original comedy series, Adults, starring my bestie, Owen Thiel. Owen is the funniest person I know. He's been my best friend for many years now. He's such an incredible actor. Owen is a part of an ensemble cast on the show about a group of 20-something friends. He's a great actor.

and I have a feeling this is going to feel familiar. Adults will feel relatable if you too ever find humor in the struggles of being an adult in 2025. You know, like remembering your full social security number,

I don't know, mine. Or to drink water, or perhaps having had your third existential crisis of the month. Best part is that all episodes will be ready for your next weekend binge. Watch FX's Adults Wednesdays on FX. All episodes now streaming on Hulu. Okay.

Somebody said, I can't tell if I actually like this guy, my friend, or if I just like the idea of him. He's perfect on paper. How do I figure it out? Is it worth trying? Okay, well, it's a good sign that you're already friends with this guy because chances are you know him pretty well. Like if you consider him a friend...

you know him better than somebody who just met him at a bar. You know what I mean? Who's talked to him for 20 minutes, right? I think it's more concerning when you meet someone at a bar and you talk to them for 20 minutes and you're like, oh my God, I'm in love with this guy. Like, oh my God, he's perfect. That's a lot more concerning to me than you feeling this way about your friend. You actually know this kid, okay? You hang out with him. You've spent time with him.

There's still, listen, whenever you date someone, a new side of them comes out inevitably. Okay. Just eventually the real them is revealed, right? In a way that you never see in friendship. Like the guys that I've dated have seen a version of me that my best friends have never seen. It's just the real you, the deepest, most vulnerable you comes out eventually, right? In a healthy relationship. Yeah.

And so actually, you know, I've even been in relationships where that doesn't come out now that I think about it. But usually it comes out. You know what I mean? But I think through being friends with this guy, you're probably not going to ever see that side. To see that side, I think you need to be dating him.

probably. So my honestly, I feel like because you already have a foundation of friendship and so far he's proven to be a really awesome guy. As you say, he's perfect on paper. I think you pursue him. I mean, you already know more about him than most people know about people that they go on a first date with. Right. Like most people are finding people on dating apps and going on a date completely blind and

They have no foundation of friendship. Right. And I think foundation of friendship is really important. Not that you can't do that on a dating app. I think you can absolutely be like, I'm looking to be friends first, you know, whatever. I don't know. I don't use dating apps, so I can't really speak to it. But, you know, this guy more than the average person knows about somebody that they're going on a date with.

Okay, so I say it sounds like you actually like this guy. It sounds like I don't think you just like the idea of him if you're friends. Like I think, again, you've reached your limit. Like, you know, as much as you can know about him as a friend, you're

Now, to really figure out if you like him, you have to pursue him. You have to go on a date. You have to see if you get butterflies. You have to maybe share a smooch at some point, you know, see how it makes you feel. You need to talk to him at two in the morning on the phone and see if it's fun for you. Like, I think that's how you figure out if you truly like him at this point, because he's already passed the first test, the friendship test.

Now, I must say this, though. You can like the idea of someone even when you're dating them. Like, that is always a risk, okay? I've fully dated guys and then realized after, like,

Wait, I didn't even like them. Like, I loved the idea of them. They were not good for me. You know what I mean? But in my imagination, they were incredible for me. You know, that's still a risk. Right. But I do think that the truest test of, you know, do I like this person or do I just like the idea of them is to spend time together to really get to know them.

to really grow a bond and have that quality time to analyze. If you don't have quality time with this person, there's nothing to form an opinion on. You need to bond with this person. And, you know, if they end up not being fun to be around, if they end up kind of sucking, right, then you can be like, oh, shit, I think I did just like the idea of them. They are not who I thought they were.

But until you have those hours logged, you know what I mean? Until you've spent the time, you won't know. You just, you won't know. You kind of have to give it a try.

I mean, I guess you could technically as friends, you know, really analyze him and compare what he is in your imagination to how he behaves in real life. That could totally be helpful too, you know, before you truly pursue him. But I really think you just need to give it a try and see what he ends up being like on a daily basis, on a weekly basis, on a monthly basis. You know, only then will you really see who he is in a relationship. Yeah.

And you'll see if he really is who you think he is. And I wish you luck. Anyway, that's it for today's episode of Advice Session. If you enjoyed this, new episodes of Advice Session every other Sunday and new episodes of Anything Goes every Thursday and Sunday. So tune in, come hang out. It's always fun. Check out Anything Goes everywhere at Anything Goes. Check out me everywhere at Emma Chamberlain and check out my coffee company,

everywhere at Chamberlain Coffee. I love you all. I appreciate you all. And I'll talk to you soon. I'll talk to you soon. All right. Talk to you later. Bye.