In Honour of the Reunion: Valuable Relationship Lessons ‘Friends’ Taught us

In some much needed good news, the long-rumoured ‘Friends’ reunion is finally happening *cue four simultaneous, on-beat claps*. With all of our favourite on-screen mates returning, we can start speculating over where they’ve all ended up and what new lessons they’ve hilariously learned. Before we get to the reunion, let’s reflect on some of the best dating advice we can gather from the series’ 10 seasons.

• Sometimes it’s better to just admit you’re wrong
  Ross really did himself dirty by keeping with the whole ‘We were on a break!’ thing – and Rachel didn’t do any better by standing by her side of the story. We all like to be right, but we shouldn’t let it get in the way of being with someone we love. If you find yourself letting your pride wiggle its way into a lover’s tiff, put it aside and focus on how you can fix the problem that began the argument in the first place.

• Be clear about what you want in the long-run
  We were all rooting for Monica and Richard. I don’t think I mourned the loss of any of the Friends’ partners as much as I mourned the great moustachioed man. But with a big age gap between them, Monica and Richard seemed bound for trouble from the start. There was too little talk about what they both wanted for their futures until it was too late. If you find yourself in a spot like Monica did, make sure you’re clear with your date/lover/partner about what you want. If you’re on different paths, you’ll have more time to work towards aligning them, and if you know it won’t work out, you’ll be saving yourself from heartbreak later down the line.

• Don’t be afraid to move someone out of the friendzone
  We might not have seen it coming, but Mondler ended up being the sitcom’s most successful relationship. While Monica and Chandler might’ve moved their relationship from friends to more in a rush, they were able to work through their feelings and create a solid relationship by relying on the foundations of their friendship. So if you think you might be on the brink of a new kind of relationship with a friend, don’t think that advancing from the friendzone to the *lovezone* has to be an awkward one – trust in your existing knowledge about your potential significant other.

There you have it – apart from providing us with some solid laughs, Friends has proved a giver of sage advice for anyone navigating the confusing world of dating and relationships.