Can Men And Women Be Friends?
(The Uncomfortable Truth)

Few questions spark a more passionate debate than “can men and women be friends?”

When asking women, you’ll usually hear, “Yes!” When asking men, you’ll usually hear, “Of course not.” or “Only if the guy is gay.”

This sucks for many women to hear. It’s depressing to think that no man can be a real friend, no matter how well you get along.

However, it’s not that black and white. I think the correct answer is, “Yes…but only under the right circumstances.”

Growing up, two of my best friends were girls. But I’ll admit, things were made easier because I was never physically attracted to either of them.

Attraction Complicates Things

Here’s the first nugget of truth about male-female friendships…

Men have no problem being platonic with women they don’t find attractive. It sounds awful, but that’s the reality.

On the other hand…

If a man finds you physically attractive, there’s a high chance he’d be open to casual sex with you if given the opportunity.

This is the argument guys use to justify why they can’t be friends with women. But I disagree. Desiring someone doesn’t automatically mean you can’t be friends.

You can be open to no-strings-attached sex but still want to be just friends. You can be attracted to someone but not want to date them.

How do I know that? Because I’m legitimately friends with many good-looking girls.

From my experiences, I know that I’m in the minority. I know that it took me years to get to the point where I didn’t need to sleep with every hot girl I knew.

My goal is to explain what type of men are most capable of creating healthy friendships with women — even if they find them attractive. And then I’ll show you how to have the highest probability of maintaining that friendship, conflict-free.

What Makes Men Able To Be Real Friends?

There are three ways I find men get secure enough to be friends with women, even if they find them physically attractive.

1. Experience

This comes down to both age and romantic history with women.

When you’re young, your testosterone levels are at their peak. Your sex drive is high and it’s hard to think without the influence of your dick.

If you’ve had little sexual history, then you’re going to see almost every woman as a romantic prospect. You’re hungry for it. You value that intimate connection more than friendship. And that’s normal.

When you’re young or inexperienced, you also don’t look past attraction to evaluate compatibility. You just know that you sexually desire someone and that’s all you need.

When I started becoming sexually active, I never thought about a woman’s values, self-esteem, or respectfulness. She just had to look hot and I was sold.

As you get older and have had sexual escapades, you screen women for more than their body. You can accept that you may find them attractive, but that doesn’t mean they’re a good romantic partner for you.

You can then appreciate their company as a friend without feeling slighted.

2. Self-confidence with women

Men who lack confidence with women have difficulty expressing their romantic intentions. You don’t flirt or show interest with women you like. Instead, you act like “friends” while secretly hoping she sees you as a romantic prospect.

When things don’t progress and you realize you’re in the “friend zone”, you can’t handle the rejection. You can’t settle for “just friends” because you never actually wanted to be friends in the first place. Your self-worth depends on winning over this girl.

Men who know they’re attractive and believe they have many opportunities with women are upfront with their romantic intentions.

You openly desire women and show your interest early on. You never use friendship as a tactic to get close, especially if you know you have no intention of staying “just friends”.

Moreover, when you understand your own value, you will not be permanently devastated by a rejection. It’ll hurt but you can take it in stride and continue to explore other options.

Then, if you decide honest friendship is something you actually want, you can pursue that.

3. Romantic fulfillment

When you’re happy in a relationship, you’re less likely to look elsewhere because that need is taken care of. Yes, you still may see attractive women and fantasize about them sexually. But most men aren’t going to ruin a great connection to get laid one time.

Now if you’re single or in a shitty relationship, that’s a different story. You’re missing that romantic element in your life. So when any opportunity presents itself, there’s a high probability you’re going to seek that validation.

The more a man embodies these qualities, the more likely he can be a genuine friend.

How Men And Women Can Build Stronger Friendships

Studies show the most significant issues in male-female friendships are…

  • Men think their female friends are flirting with them, even when they’re not.
  • Women think their male friends are just being friendly, even when they’re interested.

While the values I outlined above increase the chances that a man will be a real friend, you can’t guarantee anything.

What you can do is communicate more clearly. Both parties need to be explicit on what type of connection they want so expectations are met.

Friendship rules for men

1. Be upfront with your romantic intentions. You need to flirt with women you like and see if they like you back. Pretending to be a friend and hoping that things will turn romantic is dishonest. Also, it almost never works.

I won’t get too into this here because that’s a huge part of what this site is about. I advise you read through the flirting and sexuality sections of the Dating 101 page.

2. Accept rejection with grace. If you do express those intentions and a woman turns you down, let it go. Don’t keep chasing her endlessly. Don’t take it out on her — whether through anger, threats, guilt tripping, or manipulation. She doesn’t owe you anything and she’s not a bitch if she doesn’t see you as a romantic partner.

3. Don’t pretend like you can handle being a friend if you can’t. It’s better to walk away than stay around while in pain. You’re only going to build resentment and be more hurt when she starts hooking up with someone else. You can consider restarting a friendship with her only when you’ve truly moved on.

Friendship rules for women

1. Communicate you want a friendship early on. Use the word friend in conversation. “I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.” “You’re such a great friend.” “I’m lucky to have a friend like you.”

2. Don’t give more than light physical contact. Think about how you’d touch a co-worker or a female friend — hugs, high fives, and casual arm touches are fine. Anything more sends the wrong signals. And please, no cuddling together on your couch while watching Netflix.

3. Be clear about your rejection if they make a move. Don’t try to just ignore it because they will keep pursuing you. Don’t give them false hope that something could happen in the future.

Do let them know you see them as just a friend. If they can’t handle being friends with you, then you shouldn’t keep hanging out. The free attention isn’t worth it. You’re setting yourself up to be on the receiving end of only more problems when he feels like you used him.

4. Consider hanging out in groups rather than always one-on-one. Spending time alone in a house together sets an intimate dynamic. It’s hard for a guy not to get the wrong idea or have feelings for you.

I know it’s not your responsibility to manage someone else’s emotions. But you have to be smart about not putting yourself in a position where a man can easily misunderstand your intentions.

5. Don’t just use them as a support system. I understand that occasionally you may want some emotional guidance from a friend. But always using a guy as a shoulder to cry on about your romantic problems is not fair. Real friends hang out, have good times, and invest in one another.

If you only talk to a guy when you need help with something or when you’re feeling lonely, you’re a fake friend.

“Friendship is the hardest thing in the world to explain. It’s not something you learn in school. But if you haven’t learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven’t learned anything.”

-Muhammad Ali