Same-sex relationships ‘cosmically different’ for guys, girls

Sex in the Suburbs

"Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus." Now, I have never read this book and I am not sure how men and women compare to the solar system. However, like most people, I get the point. Men and women are cosmically different. They see the universe from different spectrums — especially in relationships. This does not necessarily mean romantic relationships, but also how they interact in relationships with their friends. It basically comes down to overanalyzing versus oversimplifying. For instance, a word like ‘‘fine" could mean a dozen things for a girl while having one meaning for a boy.

Girls tend to talk to their friends about almost anything, typically in over-exaggerating detail. "After I’ve had a crazy night, I can’t wait to tell my friends all about it," sophomore Tina Miller said. In fact, girls not only want to tell their friends everything that happened, but then they analyze it and want their friends to analyze it as well. "I need that extra reassurance from my friends," Miller said. "I like hearing what they have to say and the advice they can give me."

Girls like this support from their friends because they can often misinterpret scenarios. "I will replay the same incident in my head until I have mentally thought of every explanation or reason for it," sophomore Callan Simmins said. "Even if, I know there isn’t one." Most girls, whether or not they admit it, think the same way. "I think girls get fixed on the smallest detail, and drag it out to all possible conclusions," Simmins said.

If only boys were they same way. They, on the other hand, talk to each other for basic information. It may not be because they don’t care, but rather they don’t need the extra detail in epic story format. They just want a get-to-the-point synopsis of what happened. "I generally think most guys prefer a summary-style explanation because they don’t get as emotionally involved as girls do in most situations," sophomore Jon Greenwood said. This doesn’t mean that boys are heartless — they just think differently than the typical female. "[Guys] would just rather get to the bottom line then try to figure out how people are feeling on a subject," Greenwood said.

On the other hand, another reason why boys may not be emotional with each other is the stigma associated with it. Boys aren’t supposed to share their feelings and emotions with other boys. Maybe this is a reason why some guys become so dependent on their girlfriends. "I can talk to my girlfriend about most anything. Girls are just good listeners," sophomore Michael Chupka said. Though boys aren’t generally as emotional as girls, they may use their girlfriends as a way to satisfy any emotional needs they may harvest. "I feel like relationships with your girlfriend touches more personal issues than just hanging out with your friends," Chupka added.

Regardless, discrepancy between men and women appears to be common knowledge, whatever "planet" we come from. People get too caught up in which gender is "wrong" when they need to realize that we are just different. "We know that men and women are different," sophomore Matt Stewart said. "But I think the phrase ‘Men are from Mars and women are from Venus’ has been drilled into our minds for so long, it has become socially acceptable."