The Pressure To Assimilate
The unattached peers begin to feel the pressure to assimilate into romantic relationships to keep themselves from standing out and feeling different than their peers who now have romantic interests. In a survey, Connolly and Goldberg found that same sex close friend in the 9th Grade facilitated the emergence of romantic relationships in the 11th Grade. Proximity and social context shape romantic relationships. As adolescents get older, their peer interactions consume a larger amount of their time. In an effort to help their peers fit in with the crowd, many adolescents who are already engaged in romantic activities, aggressively serve as matchmakers.