Can Men and Women Just Be Friends?

well i know but i want to know opinions of other people.

 

I definitely think so. I think there will often be some physical attraction, but you don't have to act on it. I've had plenty of female friends (including some really close ones) that never became anything more than that even though they were attractive.

 

Certainly they can.
We are not only slaves of our sex drive.
On top, I think, every close friendship needs a bit not acted out sexual attraction, too.

 

Yes but it all depends on the individuals mindset

 

Yes and no.I think it depends. I think there will always be a natural physical attraction and possible romantic attraction between men and women, and depending on how strong that attraction is, it will be easier/harder to just focus on the platonic element of the relationship. If a man/woman is friends with someone who is 100% their type physically, then that would make it quite hard to resist the sexual temptation. Same with romantic attraction.

 

I'm not sure I understand correctly, but I think that would depend on if the relationship started out with the intention of just being friends. If a man and a woman are co-workers for example, they are in a way forced to learn to work with each other and get along with each other. If they realize they are each others type sexually/romantically, then they still might want to keep their relationship platonic. Especially if they already are in a long-term relationship.

 

Yes, but I say that very carefully. I think that there are serious limits to how close of friends you can be and quite a few condintions. It would be kinda weird for me as a married man to head out on a Saturday night to go chill at an unmarried, non relative females house, who is home alone....but even that could be acceptable I suppose if the conditions of personality, history, sexual orientation etc were considered. I don't really know...I guess I would tread lightly and would have to keep myself well in check as far as my motivations were concerned. However, in a couples situation, where the female was unavailable it would be fine to be friends within certain boundaries. Good question - sorry for the rambling : )

 

They can be... But it is quite difficult to be a pure friends only. I have tried many times to be a best friend only but still struggling and again attach emotionally as well as physically.

 

Ve

Very true.. I appreciate your opinion

 

Personally, I'm gonna have to dispute that. I've had a lot of close female friends and (at the risk of sounding arrogant) i have my fair share of "game".

 

I think you touched on the deeper reason for friendship. I'm hard pressed to think what would really tempt me to be very close friends with a female. I mean I have enough male friends that satisfy my need for friendship. They challenge, accept, teach, hold me accountable and provide that unidentifiable quality of "brotherhood". Women bring a completely different perspective and insight but...the dynamic is always very different too. Hmmm...Im not sure I completely agree about the gameless beta males - Would she still be able to make you a better person? If you can answer that with a yes I'd say it's worth the added complexity. I wonder what other women think of potential mates (men) who have tons of female friends who are truly just friends? Are they repelled? That might be one reason to limit them if you are a single man looking for a relationship.

 

I see where you're coming from and it may be true in many cases, but by saying you don't believe it you're basically saying i'm a liar. For me at least, it is true. Yes, there has been some physical attraction in a number of cases, but we never acted on it and they are friendships that i have valued and in some cases still value. That being said i can definitely understand how it could be an issue in a marriage or serious relationship and why a spouse wouldn't appreciate it. Anyway, it sounds like we have to agree to disagree.

 

I have a very Orthodox Jewish friend and I dont even shake hands with his wife. She is very nice and we have all hung out a bunch. There has to be boundaries in every situation and everyone in the situation gets a say. Sounds like you have a good sense of self and what keeps you monogamous. Id rather the friend filter start off or be kept pretty strict. The trade off seems to be possibly missing a valuable friendship or possibly finding yourself in a tempting or uncomfortable situation. I would agree to error on the side of missing a valuable relationship...but that algorithm accounts for my level of loneliness which is low and my need for romance, which is met. For others that part might influence a very different decision.

 

It's complete nonsense saying men and women can't be friends... Don't take notice of him.