The cost of love

Jennifer Lopez's love might not cost a thing, but then again, she's a celebrity.

For the rest of us mere mortals, there is a price put on the love that we give or receive. And if the results of a survey conducted by a well known international university are to believed, then the price of falling in love, on an average, is two of your closest pals.

Sounds confusing? The research goes on to explain that when you embark on a new romantic relationship, you tend to break up with, on an average, two of your closest pals.

Why? Well, for the simple reason that most of us are so enamoured with our love for that special someone in our lives that we simply don't take time out for our friends.

"The very idea of you wanting to spend time with her will lead to you putting everyone else on the backburner," says Bhuvanesh Bhatt, a medical student who has been in a steady relationship for over a year. "Guys nights-out, those endless cans of beers on the couch watching action flicks - everything becomes a distant memory of sorts. To make things worse, you tend to ignore your female friends, owing to the fear of igniting a spark of jealousy in your girl. Over a point of time, your life becomes all about her and that's the end of it," he exclaims.

Bhuvanesh is definitely not exaggerating. When it comes to mingling with each other's friends' circle, things can seem a bit daunting. Different temperaments, ego problems and a host of complaints like 'you spend all your time with your friends' and 'you have no time for me', will begin to surface in one's relationship. Giving her views on the study, Natasha Rao, a media professional says, "Though the idea of losing two of your closest friends is taking it a bit too far, there is an ounce of truth in it, especially when the romantic liaison is fresh. I know several people who would pooh-pooh the idea, but then, that's reality, whether they like it or not." She also feels that a new romance is not a good enough reason to ditch a friend who has stuck by you through thick and thin. "A balance is required, no matter how exciting the new person in your life maybe. People should understand that everything requires its own space - be it a new relationship or your friendship with your closest buddy," she adds.

There are others though, like Ravi Ashokan, a software employee, who feels that you cannot put a price on love, even if it is two friends. "If a girl were to demand that much of my time, I would try making her understand that I need to have my space and a social life. If she can't understand that, then well, it simply wouldn't work between us," he opines. "There will be that one girl for whom I will be willing to throw everything away. I just haven't met her yet. Until I do, it is definitely friends over girls for me," he concludes.