There seems to be a huge negative stigma associated with friends with benefits, but I'm here to say that it's really not that bad. As long as both parties know what is really going on, there's not a problem with things not being serious. In fact, on many occasions, it's way easier to be in this kind of situation than to be in an actual relationship. You don't have to worry about the commitment and seriousness of a relationship, but you get some of the benefits of it anyways.
I believe this negative stigma comes from the idea that friends with benefits have absolutely no strings attached, don't care for each other (so the whole thing seems meaningless), and that it's purely sexual. In many cases, friends with benefits actually results from a failed attempt at a relationship. Sometimes the timing is wrong and the relationship just doesn't work, but that doesn't mean that the two people don't still care for one another. Friends with benefits gives them the satisfaction of what they tried to have without the commitment of an actual relationship which could help keep a connection until the timing is right for those two people or until they find someone who they want an actual relationship with. It also isn't always purely a sexual matter. How cool would it be to have someone that you can call up for cuddles and a movie on the couch?
This also steers people away from the infamous one night stand. Typically, you won't really know who you're with in a one night stand, but friends with benefits gives you more of an emotional security. It takes away some of the burden of potentially moving too quickly with the wrong person. Since there isn't a romantic attachment between the two, it's easier to call things off if something were to go south or if you were to realize that the two of you really aren't compatible enough for a relationship. This also cuts down on some of the risks of receiving an STD/STI since you do know who you're with a little better than you would in the one night stand scenario.
In my personal experience, friends with benefits has allowed for me to get closer to someone even though we couldn't work out a relationship at the time. It was something that both of us were okay with and something that actually worked out well for us. This also gave us the time to realize that a relationship probably wasn't right for us even though we did care about each other. I definitely had friends and family telling me that it wasn't a good idea to be in that kind of situation because you do run the risk of getting into situations that really are meant for people who are in a relationship like a pregnancy. I think what many people neglect to understand is that if two people are happy, then they will do anything to keep something good going.
Quite possibly the most important thing is to make sure that both parties are on the same page with what's going on as long as it's occurring, because, as we all know, time changes a lot of things. There's nothing wrong with friends with benefits, but it can complicate things if both people feel different ways. For example, if one person wants to take things further, but the other wants things to stay the way they are then the two need to have a talk to see where things will be going in the future. As with any kind of partner, serious or not, it's important to talk about what's going on to keep things on good terms.
At the end of the day, you have to do what makes you happy even if no one else agrees with your decisions. Regardless of the negative stigma that is associated with friends with benefits, as long as everyone involved knows whats going on then there's no need in feeling bad about what you're doing. I feel like everyone should give it a try a some point in their life. I never saw myself as the person to be in this situation, but once I experienced it for myself, it was actually kind of nice to get away from the stress of dating in today's world. So next time you're fearing commitment, give something a little less serious a try.
