Can men and women be just friends?

[erikc76]

I have a number of female acquaintances but all of my real female friends (except one) are ex girlfriends or ex flings. The "one" is a girl I haven't seen since high school. She lives 3000 miles away, so that's the only reason why more couldn't have happened.

 

Other than that I've had two friendships with girls fail because one of us wanted more while the other did not, but something physical happened with those girls too.

 

I think they CAN be just friends but I think it's very rare.

[xyzzzz]

i start conversation with whoever i can talk to. he can either have good face or good personality. i wouldnt start talking only with people who are attractive. as to friends, i personally dont have male friends. they are more like acquaintance, meaning i wouldnt text them for no particular reason, wouldnt chat with them just cuz im bored. but i would help them if they need.

[capuccino83]

I think that men and women can be friends. My boyfriend tells me that I think this because I'm a woman. He would trust me to totally friendly intentions towards guys but he wouldn't trust other guys to have friendly intentions towards me. I disagree with him, although his pov has held up more than not in real life for me. I find that it is much easier to become friends with single guys, for example. I guess it depends on the person you are dealing with.

[Fudgie]

Personally, I have found it easier to be friends with "attached" guys. I am "attached" myself so there is less of a threat. Once I talk to them and I get the "Friendly" vibe from them, then I'm happy. I know that he's not going to try and flirt with me or anything stupid like that.

 

Single guys (I am friends with single guys too) but they are a mixed bag. Some genuinely JUST want to be friends and others are trying to sleep with you.

 

The girlfriends tend to like me for some reason, lol. Perhaps it's because I'm not very (conventionally) attractive (they are not always either) but they don't feel threatened in the least. Haven't dealt with any jealousy. If I did, I would just back off and tell the guy to do so too.

[In the Dark]

Personally, I have found it easier to be friends with "attached" guys. I am "attached" myself so there is less of a threat. Once I talk to them and I get the "Friendly" vibe from them, then I'm happy. I know that he's not going to try and flirt with me or anything stupid like that.

 

Single guys (I am friends with single guys too) but they are a mixed bag. Some genuinely JUST want to be friends and others are trying to sleep with you.

 

The girlfriends tend to like me for some reason, lol. Perhaps it's because I'm not very (conventionally) attractive (they are not always either) but they don't feel threatened in the least. Haven't dealt with any jealousy. If I did, I would just back off and tell the guy to do so too.

 

In my experience in most cases, due to me being single, taken females keep conversation short.

If I act my friendly self, the assumption is that I am hitting on them I guess.

I also assume for the most part, the males when a guy is talking to them the way I do they are quick to assume I am aiming for the same objective.

On the other hand I have come accross females in a relationship who sooner than later mention to me their relationship is down in the dumps and they are really talkative towards me.

I would like to believe this is just something related to location as I have been in other towns over a week or so and the behavior is totally different with taken females talking to me.

[Generation]

tl;dr anything, I'll just answer the question

 

Yes.

 

For a lot of men who aren't single, ALL they want is friendship and they're not interested in exploring anymore boundaries. It's hard to find a platonic friendship with a woman if you're a taken man. At least that's the way I find it. Maybe it's cause a lot of these women are single themselves.

[Day_Walker]

I would say that men and woman be friends, in the broader sense of the term. Often it does happen that one person has feelings for the other which is what I call a quasi-friendship since the friendship isnt platonic. I think that friendship is a very broad spectrum and it is possible for a guy and girl to operate on that spectrum.

[Shudder]

i';ve only had 1 friend who was of opposite gender. when i first met her she seemed cool, but she was dating my friend. i later found out she was engaged and messing around before getting married which she now is. she was also a bit of a drama queen

 

relationship wise we were never compatible, she also ended up like the sister i never had. but those kinds of friendships aren't common.

[Ratman81]

A lot of my closest friends have been women, now some of them I have later come to have feelings for, but when they were iniatially befreinded that was not my intent. I still have plenty of female friends and I can keep up barriers in my mind against anything more. Its a very rare thing that can cause those barriers to drop and make me want more. Its happened twice out of maybe a dozen close female freinds and 50 or so more casual ones.

[Fudgie]

In my experience in most cases, due to me being single, taken females keep conversation short.

If I act my friendly self, the assumption is that I am hitting on them I guess.

I also assume for the most part, the males when a guy is talking to them the way I do they are quick to assume I am aiming for the same objective.

On the other hand I have come accross females in a relationship who sooner than later mention to me their relationship is down in the dumps and they are really talkative towards me.

I would like to believe this is just something related to location as I have been in other towns over a week or so and the behavior is totally different with taken females talking to me.

 

Sorry to hear it. I'm in a relationship and talk to guys but I know the difference between "friendly" and "flirting". I'm not cool with a guy flirting with me but if he's friendly, that's cool.

 

I've known some girls who were going through a bad time in their relationships and they talk more to guys to get attention/flirt whatever. Definitely not something I agree with but that's just me.