Health · Mental Health · 1 day ago
Study Links Friendship With Connection in Romantic Relationships
Brigham Young University researchers say friendship helps build connection between romantic partners.
They analyzed interviews with 81 couples in the United States and the United Kingdom, aged 20 to 74.
Participants described friendship as something couples actively cultivate through daily interactions.
The text describes chemistry and closeness, shared laughter, emotional openness, and common interests as parts of that friendship.
Couples said shared fun and interests often take deliberate effort, rather than simply happening on their own.
The researchers say friendship can help a relationship grow, and that chemistry can deepen after early infatuation fades.
A Brigham Young University study suggests that friendship helps create connection in romantic relationships.
The study’s researchers examined how couples described friendship in their relationships.
The analysis drew on interviews with 81 couples in the United States and the United Kingdom.
Participants described friendship as an active process that requires cultivation in daily interactions.
The article identifies six qualities of friendship, including chemistry, shared joy and emotional vulnerability.
- Who
- Brigham Young University researcher Otgonbileg Erdenebaatar and colleagues studied couples’ experiences of friendship in romantic relationships.
- What
- The study examined friendship as a source of connection between romantic partners.
- When
- The study was published in 2026. Psychology Today published its article on October 20, 2026.
- Where
- The couples were in the United States and the United Kingdom.
- Why
- The researchers aimed to explore the lived, process-oriented experience of friendship in relationships.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Erdenebaatar and colleagues conducted a study on friendship in intimate relationships.
Psychology Today published an article discussing the study.
- Research team
- Otgonbileg Erdenebaatar and colleagues at Brigham Young University
- Couples interviewed
- 81
- Study locations
- United States and United Kingdom
- Participants’ ages
- 20 to 74
- Mean participant age
- 37
- Friendship dimensions
- Six
What people are saying
He showed up 110 percent, and I showed up 110 percent, and because we have this friendship, we kept leveling up.