In yet another instance of "science" confirming something we already knew, new research out of Michigan State University finds that "friends with benefits" set-ups are sometimes neither friendly nor particularly beneficial. Isn't that what freshman year of college is supposed to teach you? Apparently this is the first study ever to examine what the New York Times demurely refers to as "F.W.B." (We guess "fuck buddies" is a little much for the Old Gray Lady.)

Apparently the biggest downside to F.W.B. is that, while they start off all relaxed and commitment-free and easy-going, they soon become stressful because of the fear that one of you will develop unreciprocated feelings. Again, tell us something we don't know. In the sample of college students interviewed, a tenth of F.W.B.'s blossomed into full-scale romances, a third fell back into platonic friendships, a quarter fell apart completely (no friendship, no sex, nada), and the rest continued happily as fuck buddies. Which sounds about right to us, though we doubt that many of those "full-scale romances" outlasted the semester. So, what do you think: Did you get better at handling F.W.B.'s after college, or did you outgrow them? What's the longest a fuck buddy can stick around without screwing with your head? When and how can fuck buddies be beneficial...or will the lack of "us talk" always be the 800 lb. gorilla in the room?