Most People Regularly Want To Fight Their Best Mate

They say friends are the family you get to choose. Which begs the question - why do we want to punch them in the face so badly?

Of course you want to kick uncle Craig in the grapes; you would never choose to hang out with such a tedious stamp-collecting turd, but you have to from time to time because you're related.

But your best mate can be whoever you want it to be, and yet most of us regularly feel compelled to fight them. A LADbible poll on Twitter found that 60 percent of respondents regularly want to fight their best mate. Indeed, judging by the comments, it seems that many thought it was a stupid question.

One person said: "Wouldn't be best mates if we didn't."

Another said: "The real question is do you ever not want to fight your best mate."

And another simply commented: "Always."

So why is it that we feel compelled to twat our best mate? Well, there are a number of theories.

It could be that the desire is a symptom of your closeness. While with strangers or not so close friends you may not point out their flaws or be too blunt with your criticisms, a best mate can tell another best mate exactly what they think. This in turn could lead to a mutual urge to punch each other.

Alternatively, it could be that we all have a certain amount of inbuilt aggression that we need to vent. Rather than get arrested for lamping strangers, we scrap with our best mate, like warring puppies.

via GIPHY

Or could it possibly be that when you love something so much, you sometimes simultaneously and counter-intuitively feel an urge to hurt it? Sticking with the puppy theme, have you ever held one and loved it so much that you want to throw it at a wall? Perhaps the same applies to our best pals... Though most of us don't find our best mates quite so adorable.

Maybe then it is that we are too similar to our closest chums. 'Opposites attract' is the rule often clung to by those in god awful relationships, and it is certainly true that having some differences can be helpful. For example, if you and your best mate are both, competitive, stubborn and outspoken, then that is likely to be a recipe for fighting.

Or could it just be that fighting is a symbol of endearment? When we call our best mate a twat, we're really saying we love them, and when we judo chop them in the ribs, we're really giving them a cuddle.

Indeed, it seems if you've not got a mate who physically or verbally abuses you, then you're probably missing out.

Featured Image Credit: Colombia Pictures/E4

Topics: Interesting, Community

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey