It’s common knowledge that it’s hard for most men to stay friends with women and vice versa. Eventually, sexual tension arises and it’s hard to keep things at a platonic level. Sometimes, we successfully fight off any sexual feelings, but most times we fail and give in. And when we fail, we often end up sabotaging the friendship. This is a bad idea, especially since we do need platonic friendships with the opposite sex. To keep your mind focused on keeping things platonic, here are some things that you’ll be giving up when you succumb to your urges:

You get more dates when you have friends of the opposite sex. This is true, especially if your friends see you in your best light. See, if you’re a man with woman friends, they can introduce you to their other women friends. If you develop an interest in one of their friends, then you’ve got a chance for a date. The same goes for women who are friends with men - you get to meet some really decent, special guys through your male friend.

You get an insight into the psyche of the opposite sex. Men often ask themselves what it is that women really want. Well, if you’re doing this, you’re asking the wrong person. Women know what they want, therefore, you should ask them directly. By having a female friend, you’re allowed to take a peek into the indecipherable female mind. You’re lucky too, because not all men have this privilege.

It’s good to hang out with someone completely different. Let’s face it, we learn more about ourselves and about people in general whenever we’re hanging out with people who are different from us. We get to have different experiences that we wouldn’t have otherwise. Who knows? You might be interested in a new style of music or in a different hobby when you interact with people of the opposite sex. After all, knitting doesn’t make you any less manly - just make sure that your guy pals don’t catch you doing it.

You can get a perspective that you wouldn’t be able to get elsewhere. By confiding your problems and issues with someone of the opposite sex, you’ll be getting advice that you can’t get from your friends of the same sex. Men have a very rational, logical approach to things, and they often find it hard to take into account certain emotional and psychological complexities. Women, on the other hand, know these complexities like the back of their hand. If you’re a man with a platonic female friend, it’s good to let her bring out your softer side and to bring your emotions to the surface. Women, on the other hand, can learn to “chill out” from men.

While maintaining a platonic relationship is important, it shouldn’t be something that you would force. Like all good things, platonic friendships should come naturally.

Graham Billingham writes for DrDating.com. Visit DrDating for
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