Friend zone

F.R.I.E.N.D.S
Season 1, Episode 7 "The One with the Blackout"

Joey:It's never gonna happen.
Ross:What?
Joey:You and Rachel.
Ross:Why not?
Joey:Because you waited too long|to make your move.....and now you're in the "Friend Zone".
Ross:I'm not in the Zone.
Joey:No, Ross.|You're mayor of the Zone.
Ross:Look, I'm taking my time, all right? I'm laying the groundwork.Every day I get|a little bit closer to...Priesthood!
Joey:I'm telling you, she has|no idea what you're thinking.If you don't ask her out soon,|you'll end up stuck in the Zone forever.
Have y'ever wondered what the hell is "Friend zone" ??

A woman does not easily change her mind and become sexually attracted to a man she has already placed in her friend zone. This is said to be very different from how a male's mind works, and as a result leads to a string of false expectations on the part of the man. It is not impossible to get out of the friend zone as it is stated in many texts. In some cultures and societies, women keep around many possible suitors and marry the person they feel most comfortable with.

Many dating seminars and texts focus on how to avoid the friend zone, advising immediate cessation of all contact once a man finds himself in the friend zone. This is illustrated in the film, "Just Friends", where the main character, played by Ryan Reynolds, advises his friend to "Just walk away". It should be noted that this is usually paired with a philosophy designed for womanizers to help have sex with women, with a priority on constantly meeting new women. But for some men it is for the sake of finding a secure, loving relationship with someone they truly adore.

Sex columnist Catherine Townsend describes it as a mutual problem where two people are "trapped in that place of hopelessness and desperation", when they don't want to "risk ruining the friendship if everything crashed and burned". Townsend also cites a feared loss of romance and mystery as well as a fear of rejection. Cosmopolitan magazine has called it "relationship quicksand", but notes that in a 2001 Match.com survey, 71% of respondents hoped that they would fall in love with a friend.