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People inside a relationship don't always have the clearest view of it.
Research has found that friends' perceptions can sometimes provide meaningful information about a romantic relationship's future.
People are motivated to see their own relationships positively, which can make certain problems easier to minimize.
Friends aren't emotionally invested in exactly the same way.
They may notice recurring conflict, incompatibility, or changes in behavior that the person dating doesn't immediately recognize.
That doesn't mean friends are always right or should make relationship decisions for you.
But an outside perspective can occasionally reveal patterns that are difficult to see from inside the relationship.
© Journal of Experimental Social Psychology