I think so. I also think the underlying desire for intimacy can go both ways, although it's more rare in the other direction, because it requires a man to have relatively high sexual worth.

I generally like female friends because the dynamic is familiar - my household had only women in it. On average, most men lack emotional depth, and the ones with fragile egos tend to jockey for position in local hierarchies and are disappointed in me not wanting to participate, which I find annoying. Also, most men don't like it when I tease them which tends to be one of my favorite things to do to people. Women also tend to be way better listeners and more malleable, so it's easier to sync with them rather than letting a dude talk at me nonstop.

To the question, I'd only call a female friend a friend if I wouldn't be intimate with her in whatever context we are friends in - regardless of how desirable I found them to be - and I think that liking the way your friend looks is a bonus if anything. That kind of nuance is lost and probably not available to people without self control though. That said, there's also a large population of people that are cheats and sneaks inherently, so it's best to at least consider the worst occasionally when evaluating male-female relationships.

Only on Stacker News.

It's possible but I think it is rare. I think it is more common as a friend group. Years ago I had a group of friends that I used to hang out in the city with. There were a few women in the group, they either worked with or lived near male friends in my group. One of the women ended up moving a block away from me so we started hanging out occasionally outside of the group to grab a coffee or a drink. We weren't close friends but I would say we were friends.

Please teach your daughter some grammar🤣

"Me he llegado a..."

Friendship and respect isn't mutually exclusive with sexuality per se. I can only hope that your best friend is the one you're married to.

Yes, because most of my friends are men, and I've met wonderful people who taught me different things, most of them are men too.

I think learning how to set boundaries is important.

I guess people speaking about friendship between men and women never had any real friends (talking through men viewpoint)

that's why they think about friendship in a 'facebook' way.
in that case, yeah, 'friendship' between men and women is possible.
but I would never call it a friendship.

yes. the friendship can develop to a point where even when you intentionally want to try to have sex, you just can't feel sexual enough to do it. it's like the person has become your brother/sister.

Not in the physical realm. But men and women could be friends online (only if the woman remains anonymous).

I've had several very close female friends. It never seemed like a big deal.

Your father is right.

I used to be friends with lots of women. We were friends because the specifics of the moment forced it to be (either I was in a relationship, or they were). But if the specifics had been different (and they had hinted at something more), I'd have (tried to) fuck(ed) each and every one of them. I guess that's not what friends do. But because the specifics were the way they were, I did, and still do, very much appreciate their friendship (for lack of a better word).

Too black and white. If the male is hetero, sexual thoughts may certainly arise with female friends; doesn't mean they ever intend to act on it.

I'd say your father is right to teach caution, but a bit too extreme in how he phrases it.

It s a question of attitude, of mindset....?!?

Open the doors of perceptions ?!?

I have mostly always believed that it is quite difficult for men and women to be just friends. we are sexual beings and it's very difficult for that to not color things.

The comments below seem to show that men and women do find friendship possible. I wonder how the answers to this question break down along gender: ie do men generally think such friendships are not possible and women are more likely to think that they are?

I think so. But I think platonic friendships are likely to happen when the two of you are elementary or middle school classmates or something. Before puberty kicks in and you start viewing people as romantic interests or not. I have close female friends whom I can go out for coffee or a meal 1-1 because we were former classmates

I think your father’s point might be more valid nowadays now that people have FWBs. So it adds another layer of complication to this age-old question

That statement isn't true; there are cases where the friendship is genuinely platonic for various reasons, and others where a guy approaches a girl as a friend but things move to the next level once they discover they share common ground. I have good female friends, but I don't view them that way—I see them more like a relative or a sister. It’s a pretty complex topic—or so a specialist would say... hahahaha.

Sometimes girls don't hear or ignore to hear when boy screams out loud - "I don't wanna be friends"

Ask an average male: Can a girl and boy just be friends?

Boy: "Depends how pretty the girl is."

So, according to his logic, bissexual people can’t have friends ever? Damn that feels lonely.

Sexuality (and availability) has more to do with it than men and women not being friends. Many gay men have a woman as a best friend, so it is not a universal thing.

I would generally agree that many, if not most, straight men would have sex with a woman friend given the opportunity. “Orbiters”. I have also observed such behaviors, and it does seem a little obvious from the outside of a social group.

Human jealousy is a valid evolutionary trait the developed to protect one’s offspring. There is a reason one would feel uncomfortable having their partner spending a lot of time with available, rival mating partners.

no

I think men and women can absolutely be friends. But... if nothing ever happened between them, it’s probably because the woman didn’t want it to happen. :)