In other words, being easy, congenial, and friendly made a person more "likeable," but make them likeable.

This finding left me wondering whether this distinction between liking/friendship and desiring/attraction could be behind other romantic issues as well.

After all, many individuals find it difficult to avoid or get out of the "friend zone" and build a romantic connection with a friend (see here and here).

Similarly, "nice" men and women often feel like they finish last in relationships, being picked over for "bad" boys and girls who appear more desirable (see here).

We explored new neighborhoods, meandered through parks, and people-watched out of a coffee shop’s balcony.

Even those in long-term relationships who fall into friendly, companionate love sometimes need help re-sparking attraction and passion.

Lusting While Loathing I uncovered an article by Litt, Khan, and Shiv (2010) titled .

I feel that in the end, we would eventually need to talk about our intentions because hanging out alone now may feel like a date to me because of my change in feelings, but to her it probably is "just friends hanging out" unless she secretly likes me, too. First, I like the idea of a dating relationship having some friendship history.

If a dating/courtship relationship is anything, it should be an amazing friendship.