PLATONIC FRIENDSHIP

Is the Whole Platonic Friendship a Myth?

Platonic Friendship - It's an age-old question — one that you're probably primed to argue about, just based on that headline. You have guy friends, right? Guy friends you've never gotten physical with? Of course, because we're not all casually hooking up all over the place (even if it can be good for us). But, a platonic friendship between guys and girls is pretty much a myth.

A recent study from a University examined supposedly platonic, opposite-sex relationships, and determined that "men’s and women’s evolved mating strategies impinge on their friendship experiences." Meaning, it's basically not possible to have a friendship with a guy that doesn't involve some level of sexual attraction. They also found that men reported more attraction to their female friends than women did, regardless of either person's relationship status. And, they discovered that a person's attraction to an opposite gendered friend is viewed more as a cost to the relationship than a benefit (not totally surprising).

So, if you want to get specific, you might be capable of a platonic friendship with a guy, but he's probably thinking about having sex with you. Either way, the chances of some level of attraction between you two is pretty high—all it takes is the right circumstances to bring it out, right? Hey, there's nothing wrong with that! Unless you are in a relationship—the study also found that younger women who reported attraction to an opposite-sex friend reported way less satisfaction in their current relationships (womp).

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