It’s the age old question: Is it possible to have a platonic friendship with the opposite sex? The short answer is yes. In fact, not only is it possible to have these types of friendships, it’s also important that you do. The perks are pretty amazing.
Free dating advice and outside perspectives. Picture it: You’ve just had an amazing encounter with someone and you’re smitten. But you’re not sure if the object of your desire feels the same way. Maybe they’re sending mixed signals. Maybe you’re unsure of how you’re coming across to them. Whatever the case is, you want to know what’s going on their mind. Who better to ask than a friend of the opposite sex?
When you branch out with your friendships, you gain a little insight into the mind of the opposite gender, and that can certainly help you navigate the dating world. Aside from that, you gain an honest outside perspective on how the opposite sex views you. Let’s face it. We all get a little curious about ourselves from time to time.
You learn how to be yourself. We have a habit of putting on our best face when we date. It goes back to wanting to make a great first impression. While there’s nothing wrong with that, sometimes we can go too far and end up misrepresenting ourselves. Hanging out with a girl friend or a guy friend can help you maintain your cool around the opposite sex. After all, you’re not trying to impress your friends. You can be yourself, and that freedom can translate into other social circles.
You learn how to interact without sex. This is the lesson a lot of people don’t quite master because sex gets in the way. However, if you do manage to have a platonic friendship, congratulate yourself. You learned how to live within certain boundaries by focusing on a friendship that doesn’t have a foundation in the physical. Just because your friend is attractive, that doesn’t mean you have to sleep with him or her. There’s no obligation to have sex with your buddies.
At the end of the day, you made a friend. No one is so rich as to throw away a friend. If you meet and connect with someone, should it matter what gender they are? If dating isn’t an option, set boundaries, keep to them, and allow your friendship to flourish for as long as you can. Sometimes the best friendships can be found in the most surprising people.