It starts at a young age. Friendships develops as children play with neighbors and schoolmates. It then grows into more complex and steady relationships, possibly turning into first love. From there, companionship is strong and unyielding. Not much research has been conducted on the concept of relationships, therefore The Call has done its own.

Carrie Medelman, psychology teacher, said there are three basic ideas which create the foundation of a friendship or an intimate relationship. The first is proximity. Medelman said although it is not romantic, the basic reason behind who one will be attracted to is who they surround themselves with.

The second idea consists of physical attraction and the appearance of someone. Medelman said this goes for both friendships and intimate relationships.

“It’s an evolutionary thing. We’re attracted to people based on how they look,” Medelman said. “It might sound shallow, but it’s reality.”
Medelman said humans tend to idolize what they deem beautiful, and everyone will look at beauty as the overall factor when deciding who they will begin a relationship with, whether it be friendly or intimate.

Finally, Medelman said the third aspect is similarity. People are friends with those who share core values such as religion, income, age, race and educational levels.

According to the website Psychology Today, friendships also play an important role in life. Friends sharpen the mind, making a person generally happier. Also, having friends helps people know themselves better, resulting in reaching their goals, meeting romantic partners and living a longer and healthier life.

Medelman agrees saying humans need companionship for support and survival. The idea of identifying with a group gives people emotional and physical support, helping the human race live longer.

Medelman said those without friends can become depressed, leading to a higher risk of blood pressure and cholesterol. Loneliness also increases a person’s stress levels, which can lead to chronic illnesses.

While friendships can make us happier, intimate relationships can do the same. However, Medelman said there are two different kinds of these relationships: companionate love, two people spending the rest of their lives together, and passionate love, the feeling people undergo when they first fall in love.

People start out in the passionate love stage when they first fall for each other, but then it turns into companionate, allowing people to spend the rest of their lives together, according to Medelman. However, reproduction is still the main goal. Although humans are cognitively different than other animals, the aim is to reproduce, keeping humans alive and growing.

Overall, Medelman and Psychology Today agree humans are attracted to people with similar traits to start friendships and relationships. People have friends and intimate relationships because they are aspects of life one cannot live without.

“The more you are conscious of your own patterns and [others’ patterns] about who they choose to date and what kind of person they are attracted to are things you want to be [aware] of,” Medelman said.