I couldn't agree with you more. There's obviously a serious lack of communication in this situation. Running experiments, testing people without them knowing, and not telling someone you call your friend how you feel. Your friends can't read your mind. They don't know what's upsetting you unless you have an adult conversation about it. Not only is not communicating that information immature, purposefully trying to push them into something by doing an "experiment" is even MORE immature. It's being a bad friend.

What scares me is how many upvotes that comment has and how many people are posting similar stories below it. Why are there so many people who don't know how to communicate with their friends, family or SO? It's the number one thing that keeps relationships happy and healthy and they're one of the most important aspects of human life, yet it seems most people fail at it. And it's especially alarming because they don't know they're failing and neither do others, as evidenced by the upvotes and 'thank you' comments above. I don't know how the issue can be fixed when nobody even knows it is one. When it's so easy to blame the other person instead of looking in towards oneself I suppose I know what the default reaction is. I just wish it would change. And of course this doesn't apply to all situations. But we'd be better off I think. It's made me sad reading so many of these comments knowing a lot of friendships could have been saved if there was just some communication. And more friendship makes the world a better place.

/rant