Men & women, can they ever be only friends? Your thoughts

Talking with a best (girl) friend of mine for be thinking, she thinks that men & women can't be friends due to sexual tension & attraction eventually getting in the way .

I disagree, I have more guy friends then girl friends because for some reason I just "get on" with guys better then girls in most cases.

So ... What do you guys think ? Opinions from both genders are welcome.

My husband best friend is a female. Of course shes gay so Im not sure if that would support her arguement LMAO. I have some of each more so women these days because of the kids. My husband does not have alot of guy friends hes just not your normal male at all so his few friends are females and they were usually my friends first LOL

It depends on the individual I think. I'm trying to think right now..a majority of the guys I've been close friends with I've ended up at least sleeping with. If they were reasonably physically attractive and we were both single...yeah. I don't necessarily feel 'romantic' towards them though.

Ummm yea my boyfriend started out as my best friend lol I'm sure it works though! Oh wait one of my oldest & best friends (like 10 years now) is a guy I even lived with for like 4 years in college & we've never been more than good friends - so yes, definitely possible.

I dunno. DH is 22 and I'm 20. We're at that weird age where everyone is either trying to "loan" money from you, drag you into childish drama, or sleep with you.

Sooo. I'm interested in hearing the replies.

Lol your hubby sounds like a cool guy .

I meant straight women & straight men, a good many of my friends are straight men, men just like to talk to me I guess , but I love my OH & I make sure everyone knows it & he is ok with me having opposite sex friends (knowing most of them are "not my type" but also knowing that I love & respect him enough to not betray his trust ) when I told him shaky the guy who had a crush on me (you guys remember the thread) we had a laugh about it because just the thought of him & me "together" even if I were single was so laughable to the both of us.

He also has a few female friends, & he is cute so girls like to talk to him but he always makes sure they "know" he's "off the market" he's good at projecting it with his body lingo.

OF COURSE they can be friends! A prime example is myself and one of my coworkers. I'm asexual and he's gay, so there's not the SLIGHTEST chance of there being any "sexual tension" from either side. We're beginning to be great friends, though.

For what it's worth, I'm 25 and he's 20.

My best friend is a guy. He's straight, I'm bi, I have a boyfriend, he has a girlfriend. We've been best friends for 12 years and there's never been any tension between us. It can happen. ;]

Generally I get along better with guys and have an easier time making friends with them. I can say with pretty clear certainty that I have never been attracted to my male friends. Lol in my case, the guys that I end up being attracted to are the ones that I have an impossible time forming any sort of friendship with.

Most of my closest friends are straight males, and I have never been unfaithful. So, for me, it's bull.

Some people, sure, they have issues with it. There's always going to be slightly different factors at play.

A LOT of guys keep their attraction to themselves & fake the funk. i think it's possible but more likely when you're older than when your in your party period.

Of course. I've had a ton of male friends, and none of us have tried to diddle each other

I am sure there are some people who cannot be friends with the opposite sex. But that's really an individual person issue.

I think it REALLY depends. I think when you're older (like 40+) then maybe... But I don't know.

Logically, the answer should be yes. Logically, women and men should have no issue being friends.

In MY actual life EXPERIENCE, they do have issues just being friends. Now, I think if it's an older, established friendship where they have already been friends for a long time with no feelings, than sure. No issue. But I don't personally think that people in serious relationships should be making new friends that are the opposite sex. Simply because it has NEVER worked out right for me.

So, I don't really know. Lol.

LOL this thread reminds me what a “young” forum this is!

Yes, once you’re in your 40’s and old and decrepit you do have friends of the opposite sex, and its okay

40's is old and decrepit?!! Please don't tell my 40's friends that...

I was being facetious. I’m in the “40’s†category

I've always had a lot of guy friends. I get along better with guys than girls. Unfortunately I often seem to be lumped into 'one of the guys' more often than not.

Entirely possible.

I was another one of those who had more male friends than female. I've had a group of close guy friends since I was in high school. One or two date from junior high school. We were (and are) just friends...nothing more. Perhaps I'm showing my age, but we've remained good friends for more than 15 years. We're almost all married now, some with children. The dating scene never caused any lapses in our friendship, either. We all had SOs who understood that we were just friends, and were no threat to each others' romantic relationships.

NAH , And it is just my jealousy and his , but chris and I dont do opposite sex friends .

I dont need any male friends , and he does not need any female friends.

Of course I need to say , we dont go out or party and any socializing with our friends is done at my house. We are really tight family group that shuns outsiders. He has a few male friends , I dont have any nonfamily female friends due to the last bitch i let in almost destroyed my family.

Can it work? Sure. Does it often cause a lot of tension? Absolutely.

I've always been someone who had more guy friends than girlfriends. That changed once I got married. Out of respect for my husband, I do not intentionally spend time alone with other men. I do not actively seek out male friendships. I have guy friends I've had since childhood that I still regularly talk to, and of course I have male coworkers that I have gotten to know since being married--but I would never call one of those guys up and say, "Let's go to the movies" like I would with a female friend.

A lot of people have told me that means I obviously don't trust myself (or my husband, since he has the same policy for female friends), but I don't think that's true at all. I value my marriage above any other relationship I hold, and don't want anyone or anything to come between it. I make choices to insure that it never will.