The Third Wheel Effect

Definition: Where one person hangs out with two people who are dating in situations and places where couples usually hang out like at the movies or at restaurants. 


Third wheelers make the situation extremely awkward for a couple to show affection towards each other or talk about things pertaining to their relationship.

Thank you Urban Dictionary.

Now there is more than one type of third wheel, to be specific there are three. The first and our focus today is the type described above and the second one is a group of three friends that are most of the time the same gender. Two of the three are best friends and the other who may or may not have been best friends with one of them first feels left out and excluded. The third one is similar to the first one except for the fact that the third wheel is wanted by one half of the romantic couple to make things not so romantic.

Today we focus on the third type and a little personal tie in I have to it.

Story time!

As you all probably know, I am an average female high school student. I am a friend and confidant, not someone's romantic interest. This starts when I was waiting at my friends locker's for lunch (where we always eat) when another friend of mine (let's call her Anne, to keep things simple) came up to her locker, which is next to my two friend's lockers.


It starts when I'm standing in the hall during lunch waiting to meet my friends at their lockers. Then my other friend comes by because her locker is next to theirs and starts talking to me. Let's call her Anne, okay. So I say hello to Anne and make pleasant conversation and she starts talking about how she has to go out for lunch with this guy. Apparently this guy has a thing for her and keeps going out for lunch with her, now he assumes that they are dating while she remains uninterested. Now she doesn't want to go out for lunch with him again alone. So she invites me to attend this lunch date to make it less romantic.

I agreed, mostly because she offered to buy me lunch and an ice cap (my guilty pleasure). So when we walked up to him in the middle of the crowded front foyer and I see his face fall completely and then my conscience kicks in and tells me I'm wrong. Then I open  my mouth. 

To say that Anne is a bad liar is a bit of an understatement, basically I did all the lying. I got the guy to believe that I forgot my lunch and that Anne owed me money so she was going to buy me my lunch.

I had to carry the conversation basically because the guy barely spoke so it was me and Anne talking to each other, it felt sufficiently less romantic than her other times out for lunch apparently.

After a while he seemed to get used to me and didn't glare at me that much, but I think he lost it when my friends came by. We were at Tim Hortons and who do I see in the line up once we sit down? The very friends I was waiting for in the first place! So they came over to our table briefly and made things even less awkward for me but not for the guy!

Once they left we started eating and we stopped talking. Tim Hortons was pretty busy with people from school to angry looking men in suits during their coffee break. That was when I discovered the third wheel effect and sufficiently understood the concept. Truth be told, it's actually hilarious!

After we got back to school I trailed around them for the rest of lunch and noted the guy's relieved face when I left briefly to go to the washroom. When I got back Anne was talking to another friend of hers (who is also a guy) and his relief was long gone from his features. 

I stayed until lunch ended, during my next two periods I reflected on how it went and how the Third Wheel Effect changes social situations. I sound so professional but I actually drew a diagram, it was entertaining. More entertaining than Civics anyway.

Now I've shared my story with you, I hope you enjoy these sort of posts I've been writing as of late. I'm trying out different faces of my blog to decide which one I want to show you so if you like this very realistic side of me let me know. I've got a brain full of it.

Jasmine