Like and Lust Scales and Futures Index

I had a conversation recently (actually an argument) with a guy I used to be involved with, the whole basis of which was how much I did or didn't like him throughout our involvement. That conversation is not what I want to write about today; it was stupid and I will only get annoyed again thinking about it. But I did start thinking about all the different connotations of the word like, and I want to develop this theory I have in my head.

You can put liking someone on a scale, where a 1 is just this side of neutral feelings and 10 is can't live without the person. But the Like Scale, if you will, can only involve pure platonic, friendship feelings. So say a 3-5 means you enjoy spending time with someone but wouldn't be devastated if they left your life.

Now, you also have to consider when dealing with people of the opposite sex the Lust Scale. On this scale, a 1 would be you wouldn't be opposed to a kiss but don't feel strongly enough to necessarily act on it. A 10 would be you want to rip their clothes off and do them right there every time you see them.

What you need to do is figure out where on both scales a particular person falls and add those numbers together to get a measurement on what we will call the Futures Index, which then defines what kind of friendship/relationship you would be happy with from this person. Of course, the index then doesn't tell the whole story because, for instance, someone may score at a 1 on the Like Scale and 10 on the Lust Scale, giving him an index of an 11. Second scenario: He scores a 10 on the Like Scale and a 1 on the Lust Scale, also resulting in an index of 11.

You need to analyze the Futures Index in relation to the individual scale measurements that are its components to get a true picture of where things fall. The first 11, for instance, means someone is good for a one night stand, whereas the second 11 means that guy is an excellent choice for a best friend.

Obviously, the best scenario for a long term relationship would be when a guy scores a 20 on the Futures Index. Well, so long as your score on his Futures Index is also a 20. Now, of course there is going to be movement along each scale over time. Sometimes a guy that starts out low on the Lust Scale may eventually move up as you learn more about him and appreciate him more fully. Conversely, a guy that starts out high on the Lust Scale may do things that over time turn you off and move down on the Lust Scale. And of course people are usually going to move on the Like Scale. No one ever starts out at a 10 here and if no one ever slid down the Like Scale people would be much less likely to end relationships.

One could argue that there are other scales to be included in the Futures Index like a Compatibility Scale or a Personal Behaviors Scale but I think you can sort just about every aspect of male-female relations into the like or lust categories and therefore they are already being measured. For instance, you don't like someone that has personal behaviors you disagree with, and mental compatibility is an aspect of how much you like someone whereas physical compatibility is a direct aspect of your lust for them.

So there you have it: Tina's theory on measuring your feelings for the opposite sex. Of course, I could go into more detail on how exactly to make measurements on each scale and what different index scores with different scale combinations mean but that would make this entry way too long. Maybe some other day.