Uh-oh! Science says new love can cost you your closest friendships

Bad news for fledgling relationships – science says that if you're not careful, new love could cost you your closest friendships. 

There is nothing better than the first few months of a relationship – the time spent dating, learning more and more about one another and the excitement of a dalliance with a new person in the bedroom. 

However, science says that if new lovers aren't careful, they could end up neglecting their friendships and lose some of them all together. 

According to research led by Robin Dunbar, head of the Institute of Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology at Oxford University, for every new relationship a person embarks upon, they lose two close friends. Not ideal. 

'If you go into a romantic relationship, it costs you two friends,'  Dunbar told The Guardian. 

Dunbar's previous research suggested that most people have five very close friends. However, those who get into relationships end up with only four. 

'Those who have romantic relationships, instead of having the typical five 'core set' of relationships only have four. And of those, one is the new person who's come into their life.'

Finding new love is exciting, amazing and can be all-consuming, and it's totally understandable that when you get a new partner, you want to spend all your time getting to know them.

However, keeping on top of your current friendships with those who have always been there is vital to avoid losing them to your new girlfriend or boyfriend. 

Spending time cultivating a new romantic relationship can leave current strong friendships by the wayside to wither. 

A recent poll shows that 92% of people have been ditched by their best friend for a boyfriend, so that's a lot of friendships which have the potential to be ruined by new love.