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"Is there a mathematical equation for what happens to your social life when you get into a relationship? According to one study done by Oxford University researchers, there is. The study found that, on average, most women have a core group of around five friends. And whenever we get into a new relationship, we typically lose two of those friends. (What?!) It sounds harsh, but when you think about it, it&amp;#x27;s probably true. To show off my limited math skills, here is what that would look like algebraically: you + boyfriend = (5 close friends - 2 close friends) Maybe that equation isn&amp;amp;#8217;t entirely correct. But it may have been my only chance to use the word algebraically, ever. Now, it&amp;#x27;s never fun to lose friends, but when you start hanging out with a new guy, it happens (either because you have less time, someone gets jealous, or you simply drift away from your former single life). But according to the study, there is (sort of) a happy ending: The two friends you lose are eventually replaced by one new friend (presumably one you make through your new guy). Robin Dunbar, a professor of evolutionary anthropology at Oxford, told the BBC, &amp;quot;What I suspect happens is that your attention is so wholly focused on your romantic partner that you just don&amp;#x27;t get to see the other folks you have a lot to do with, and therefore some of those relationships just start to deteriorate&amp;amp;#133;&amp;amp;#8221; I know I&amp;amp;#8217;ve experienced this in my own relationships, but I never realized it was a consistent trend. What do you think? Have you gotten into a relationship and noticed your friend group get smaller? Is it just because you don&amp;amp;#8217;t have as much time? "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.glamour.com/sex-love-life/blogs/smitten/2014/07/women-lose-two-friends-in-relationship>