*I’m referring to opposite genders when I ask this question.
PLATONIC RELATIONSHIPS: Are They Common?
*I’m referring to opposite genders when I ask this question.
Platonic relationships are common. As N192K001 pointed out, co-workers. There are also groups of friends who are often of mixed-sex, teen/adult junior sports teams are mixed-sex, etc. Are people gonna wanna hump every single one of them, including the 80-year-old receptionist? Humans love to say we're superior to animals so... act it.
It really comes down to age & maturity level or in short > self-control. Immature & irresponsible people lack self-control. There's a couple of blogs on platonic relationships & one guy pegs it quite accurately > people who don't see platonic relationships happening are those who have a history of cheating or are unable to 'keep it in your pants'.
I'm an attractive woman. I've a number of male friends, platonic. Gay & straight. There's nothing there. We're either known one another too long or simply aren't each other's type (people with low self-control don't have types, anyone's 'fair game'). There's no jealousy; if there was why the hell would I be one's bride's best maid at their wedding?
I don't know how common, but I do know they exist. My best friend is a guy and he and I have been friends for 6 years now. He's married with a couple months old baby and I couldn't be happier for him. He and I have never been sexual. Actually, I'd sleep over his house (during a time when I had a boyfriend). After we'd go out to our favorite pizza joint for a slice when we'd go back to his room he'd shut the windows, wouldn't let me open them. He then would proceed to fart all night long and they were the foulest smelling farts and I'd want to die. And I'd wrap myself up in a comforter to escape it. That's the kind of friendship we had. He's my brother. Heck, he was in love with my sister for years until he met his wife, haha. It's possible no matter what people say.
They are common for me. I have more female friends than male friends. My best friend for a few years was female. We did a lot of things together - dinners, full day trips to various places, attending events together, going to dark places late at night to watch meteor showers - and talked about anything and everything. She'd tell me about guys she was dating. She and another friend (also female) helped me through troubles in one of my relationships. We emailed and texted each other pretty much every day, sometimes for an hour or more. She'd sometimes text me while on a date to let me know how it was going.
Some people thought we were dating but we weren't. Neither of us wanted a romantic relationship. We were happy with what we had. There was no sexual contact at all. A quick goodbye hug at the end of our time together was the only physical contact there was.
My opinion is that if someone sees a person of the opposite sex as a person and not just a potential sex partner, then platonic relationships are quite possible.
I've had a very good friend for almost 30 years, who put the kabosh on sexualizing very early. In later years it is I who keeps the brakes on that. We work very well together as friends and project partners. She and I were in computers when it started, and we branched away from that when we lost our respective jobs. She went from programmer to social service stuff, and I went from electronic engineering into nursing. We have volunteered in the same places for as long as we've known each other. We stay friends through a lot; surgeries, disabilities, difficulties, and the garbage we often need to wade through in this thing we call life.
Long story short, I'm not sure many have this kind of friendship. I know it works for me.
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Well of course! Most of my coworkers and best friends are platonic. Nothing sexual or romantic, we're just buddies that hang out, discuss random things, and tease each other.
Let's see, my longest platonic relationship has lasted 10 years now, and most of of other guy friends I've known 5+ years now.
Yes, I have several. Many of us have known each other for years and some have been my friends since we were children.
Not nearly as common as women believe.
Most women have no problem being platonic friends with men, but men are different creatures. Men have a biological imperative to impregnate (which, in the age of birth control, can simply be read as "bang") as many different women as possible. This is why men are perfectly happy to have casual sex - it's built in to our biology.
Generally, while it's possible for a man in a happy, healthy relationship to be platonic friends with a woman, and perhaps even a single guy who has the looks/charisma/skills to get laid as much as he wants, for the vast majority of single guys who don't get anything close to the amount of sex that they want, it is virtually impossible to be platonic friends with women. Most guys don't befriend women they don't find attractive, and if they find a girl attractive, it's NOT platonic - he wants to bang you, and that's going to affect your "friendship."
Yes, a FEW exceptions exist - guys who are emotionally mature and have confidence in themselves - but the vast majority of single guys want to bang every one of their female friends.
For women, think about each of your guy "friends", and ask yourself: "If I'm with my guy "friend" alone, and I threw myself at him, would he bang me?" If you can't answer "absolutely not", then he's not a platonic friend. And even if you answer "absolutely not", there's a good chance you're mistaken.
I'm not particularly the affectionate type and no one is stupid enough to touch me so... I wouldn't say my relationships are platonic. I would say that they are solid. You know where you stand with me. The way I show that I care is through putting people in thier place. Challenging nonsense and causing those around me to think bigger - outside the box. If I choke you out then you know that I care. You might not be able to breathe for a second, but only for a second. That's me being playful guys tend to get it women... not so much.
every. single. guy. that. i. ever. thought. was. my. friend?
told me later that they hoped i would get over the friend thing.
so no, i do not believe they are common.
and i would like to ask this question to every guy who commented here or who reads this - does your girlfriend/wife know that you have these "platonic" relationships? if she does she's an idiot. and if she doesn't - i just proved my point!
NO NO NO NO NO NO
guys are unable to do that and it isn't their fault - the fault is in the way we raise them! so we are all to blame! and i am all for fixing shit and like starting right now. anyone game?
You're just not meeting the right guys. My best friends have always been guys and I have a great sense of when a guy has a crush on me. It's actually almost perfected. I can sense it from day 1. I'll even tell my friends that I think the person is flirting with me and they'll be like "I don't see it" only to then be proven wrong when I get the guy or he flirts even more hardcore in front of others. I'm good at reading guys. My two closest buddies I met through school and they are my brothers. Family. The cringe is real if anyone were to suggest us being a couple. It's possible to have platonic friendships with men. Not all guys are pigs.
@existing_not_living thank you for that well-put-together comment. and i always think guys are my friends but they aren't? i've only had a few guy friends that were platonic and those were when i was younger. i do get what you are saying and i am glad that you have your brothers (guy friends)! so thank you again for your response - i appreciate it!
I’d say they’re common. How else are you friends with the opposite sex when you’re in a relationship with someone else?
I’ve had a few platonic friendships. My longest one goes back to high school. We’ve been friends since we were 16 and we’re 25 now. In the first couple months of our friendship, I always wondered if he might like me. We went to a party (a couple months into our friendship) and played truth or dare. We got dared to kiss. He’s a very honest and extremely blunt person and right after said it felt like kissing his sister. It def felt weird. Not gross, but just not good nor did I want to continue. He was also always in a relationship. He’s married now. through all our friendship, he’s always asked me for relationship advice. He just had a baby and I’m the godmother.
I have several female friends like that, including one who is like a "sister" to me getting married in a week and a half. There's lots of hugging and laughing and sharing and so forth. My wife doesn't mind. Sometimes I hold my wife's hand on one side and female friend's hand on the other. She has some of her own with guys. I don't mind.
I doubt they are common. For young people in Western culture it's like an unstable equilibrium
(I had one in my first semester, but then one day we were joking about what to eat after we finish our group assignment and she said she'd like to get her pie creamed and long story short she ended up with her skirt lifted up and me bending her over the table.)
Of course, they are!
You've had friends, right? And co-workers? Don't tell me we're all humping anyone & everyone with different anatomy.
ok IlyaTheImpaler said that your answer was the most realistic so i came down and ya - you are very realistic but even my coworker friends (and i had some really great guy co-worker friends) they all eventually admitted that if i had have given them even a bit of a hint - they would have gone for it. even my friend matthew admitted it and that took some serious guts on his part! so no - i don't think platonic relationships are possible. and i certainly don't ever want my guy telling me he is going over to his friend's house and she just happens to be a girl and they are like really close or something? what the hell just happened willis? no way. nada. zip. zilch. i don't believe it. and like - i pretty much will freakin believe in anything? so?
@kymberz Well, a good deal of my colleagues weren't exactly repulsive, some were quite attractive, some were just in the middle, while the remaining were… not very pleasing to the eye, to be kind. Personally, I've kept my relations platonic due to internal & externally-imposed goals & expectations. It all depends on objectives & self-restraint. I will admit, though… turning-down classmates & co-workers who showed interest was painful. Long-term goals can be such a witch!
@kymberz Oops… Sorry for not explaining clearly enough! My bad.
What I meant was that with my colleagues' appearances in a spectrum (of very attractive to not), I've turned-down opportunities to romantic-relations and kept things platonic due to a mix of (initially) externally-exposed & (later) self-imposed prerequisites for eligibility.
Is this better?
Not possible couldn't count the time my friends just wanted to be "friends" with girls and get all pissed off when the girl dates some other dude. I will never pursue a friendship with a woman I always want more and if she makes it clear she only wants to be friends I make it clear otherwise and move on. Only way it'll work for you is if the opposite gender is gay, not bi my one bisexual buddy is the worst for being friends and wanting more even tho he usually pursues other dudes
Hmm, if it is intimate and affectionate but not sexual - is that platonic? Physical for me is the limit - so affection means 'not-just-platonic'.
Not saying those are not enjoyable, and I might even get involved in something like that/ok it for my second half - but as it stands, my background is too paranoid for going that far and not considering it a full blown relationship 🤷♂️. Too easy to get sexual over it.
Genuine ones? No.
Forced ones where at least one party wants more, but it just hasn't happened? Yes.
Sure. I like my female friends and have never wanted more with them.
Common... not really
They do exist I have several... some came from them being too young for me and some from knowing them too long
I'd say they are totally possible but that also makes things super confusing too...
How so? Just curious.
@existing_not_living it's signals. What is romantic love, what is friendship love... Where do the lines blur or stop... Personally I love the idea of a relationship like this but it can be confusing to figure out if your still friends or more
I guess it's different for me. I have a pretty good idea of when a guy is crushing on me vs. a guy who is not. I'm good at feeling out the chemistry between me and someone else and whether it is romantic or not. So when it comes to making guy friends I'm good at telling who would probably bang me and be my friend and wouldn't bang me in a million years. I have multiple completely platonic friendships with men. I also have many platonic friendships with men that I know are sexually attracted to me, but I am not to them. Just gotta get good at reading people.
@existing_not_living fair enough. Totally makes sense
Only when the guy is gay.
Most platonic relationships, one of them is secretly harbouring a deep sexual feelings for the other.
If granted the opportunity they would definitely not missed that opportunity to fuck.
Not only are they uncommon - they don't exist. Those who claim they do are lying, both to others and worse - to themselves.
Yes , i would be all for a Platonic Relationship
Nope. If the pussy is closed for business, I'm not interested in hanging out with its life support system.
Most of my friends have always been girls
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