Hollywood always seems to be a little behind the times. Twice this year the big screen has explored a sexual concept that's almost at the ho-hum stage -- Friends with Benefits. You know: two friends who like each other but not as boyfriend-girlfriend material so they have no problem sleeping together in between "real" relationships without things getting weird. Things don't get weird in the newly released "Friends with Benefits" with Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis or in January's "No Strings Attached" with Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher, but they do get predictable; in both movies the couples end up falling in love.
Maybe we're not ready to see friend sex work on the big screen because a lot of us can't make it work in real life, either, even though many of us think we can. It's that darn oxytocin -- the cuddle hormone -- that can mess up casual sex for women. Men often have an easier time separating sex from emotions, says dating coach Evan Marc Katz. But if you're newly divorced, you'll see a lot more attempts -- and successes.
It may not be ideal for never-married and somethings who eventually want commitment, the picket fence and the Volvo station wagon one day, but if you're just getting out of something like that, a relationship is the last thing you need.
Yet, who wants to be celibate? You just need some sex from time to time, something more than what your battery-operated boyfriend can provide. That's why friends with benefits FWB and no-strings-attached NSA sex are almost custom-made for new divorcees; you can keep yourself focused on rebuilding your life and career and being present for your kids while also having your sexual needs met and a certain level of intimacy without commitment.
Like many other newly divorced people, Moore, the mother of three, knew she wasn't ready for a new relationship after her marriage of seven years ended. And she didn't want a series of one-night stands. She and many of her divorced friends didn't have FWB relationships as much as NSA sex -- they'd get together with someone a handful of times but it was strictly for bedroom activities, not real "friendship.
