Weird feeling of jealousy

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Okay, so first of all, a little bit of background: I've been going to university (studying English) for about a year and a half. I've managed to get acquainted with a lot of people, if on a strict "acquaintance" level with most.

Either way, I was at a Christmas party organized for English students last night, and two of said acquaintances were there as well - one male, the other female. The former I just happened to get to know by some series of events, whereas the latter is actually the reason I attend any of the parties to begin with. (Don't misinterpret me, though - I'm not romantically interested in her. Rather, I owe her my gratitude for making sure I didn't become an outcast, if you will.) They're both awesome people in their own right, and I respect them.

At said Christmas party, later during the night, I happened to see by a glance that they acted as though they were dating. Once I was alone with the guy, I seized my opportunity and asked him if I was indeed correct in interpreting their behavior as such. And he confirmed my suspicions.

Now, here's the weird part: when I caught that glance at them, I felt oddly jealous despite not having any feelings towards the girl. Or if I do, my feelings haven't wanted to alert me about their presence yet, so to speak. And that's what's been bugging me endlessly today. I even discussed it briefly with the dude, but luckily he was plenty cool about it.

What worries me the most, though, is that I promised him that I'd keep myself from intruding into what's obviously between them, and yet, I doubt I'll be able to keep that promise. It'd be the first promise I've broken in years if I should fail that, and I'm not so sure I could stand it.

Any suggestions as to how I should go about approaching this dilemma?

I'm not a good source of advice since I am a barely functioning person but I think what you feel is pretty normal, it might not be a jealously of them specifically necessarily but more a longing for a relationship yourself. It gets very tiring being on the outside looking in at looking a loving couples, seeing people with families, watching romance movies or hearing love songs on the radio, I just try my best to avoid the triggers when I am feeling that way.

Not weird at all. Very normal.

Classic economics at play. Everyone wants what they can't have.

There have been many informal, and formal, studies about stuff like this. It's common knowledge that as soon as someone is unavailable they become more attractive to others. It's a behavioural thing, a hormonal and pheromonal thing. I've read about peoples' accounts of it from both sides. Stories like yours where people are inexplicably attracted to someone after they're "taken," and also stories from the other side where people couldn't get a date.. start dating someone and then all of the sudden several more people are interested in them.

It's not weird at all. Just know you're experiencing a very normal response to this situation. Realizing this, it might be easier for you to ignore it, control your impulses, and not break your promise not to meddle in their new relationship.

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