Can Guys And Girls Ever Be Just Friends?

If you have a friend of the opposite sex, you probably spend most of your time defending your friendship. ‘We’re just friends’, ‘I don’t like them like that’ and ‘he/she is like family’ become common phrases whenever the friend is brought up in conversation. It’s the age old question - can guys and girls ever be just friends? 

No, one will always fall for the other

Pop culture will tell you that guys and girls can never be just friends. There are enough movies out there (think Just Friends, When Harry Met Sally and Friends With Benefits) that tell us that despite our best intentions and promises that nothing will ever happen- one person will always fall for the other.

According to Scientific American, while we think we’re capable of being just friends, the opportunity for romance is often lurking around the corner. The results suggested that men (in comparison with women) have a particularly hard time being just friends with women as they consistently overestimate the level of attraction felt by their female friends.

Plus, have a look at your group and you’ll probably be able to find a horror story of a friendship that was destroyed when one person fell for the other and basically f*cked everything up for both of them.

Yes, I know heaps of people that have guy/girl friends

Are we really saying that we can’t control ourselves with our friends of the opposite sex? I’m giving everyone some more credit here. One - it’s totally possible to have an entirely platonic relationship with someone without wanting to hook up with them. Especially if you’ve known someone since forever, you’re probably long past any urge to get in their pants.

I’m not saying it’s impossible that one person will fall for the other or that a friendship isn’t a solid base for a relationship. But, it’s totally possible to hang out with someone of the opposite sex/same sex (whatever you’re into) and not hook up with them. And, even if someone does end up developing feelings for the other it’s also possible not to ruin the entire friendship with them.

The verdict?

Look, in all honesty, it just depends. You’ll hear enough stories from both sides; horror stories of ruined friendships and years of being ‘friend zoned’ as well as success stories of best friends growing up together and just being solid mates.

Once I had a dream that my mate of four years was dating. Dating me. And all of a sudden I was in a blind panic, frazzled thinking have I been into him this whole time? Oh my god, am I into my best mate?! Shock. Horror. Chaos. But after a few hours, he did something that nicked me off and I snapped so far out of it. No, no, no haha.

Sometimes you might think you are, sometimes you'll know you are. You just need to suss out your own friendships and see where you stand.