I cannot speak for everyone, but I am a straight male and my best friend of ten plus years is a woman. I think she is very attractive but I see her as a sister I grew up with rather than a potential partner.

I think that is completely possible for straight men and women to be just friends. It is easier to be friends when neither people are personally attracted to one another, but it is possible to be friends with someone who you see as physically attractive as well. I also have a number of male friends who I can say they are attractive people, but I don’t personally feel that spark of attraction, or there are personal and moral reasons why I know it wouldn’t work out.

Also, by the logic of straight men and women not being able to be just friends, bisexuals could not be just friends with anyone. It’s like saying if there is a potential for attraction, the friendship will not work.

Absolutely. Most of my closest friends are female. Many, and some of the closest ones I've known since adolescence. To be fair, I was often hoping for more but in the end it has worked out for the best. There are several though, all heterosexual, who have always been "just friends". And sadly, I have lost some of my dearest, most wonderful, most impacting, most inspiring, most soul bound friends because of breaking the boundaries. That was all before I was married in '91 and goes back to college. I'm crying. Great. Thanks a lot. I had a rule that I pretty much lived by and that was "don't f%# your friends. Figuratively or litterally". Oh, BTW, there is no such thing as friends with benefits.. I wish. Someone always starts to develop more feelings than the other. Guaranteed broken relationship.

A girl I dated when I was 17 or 18 is now one of my dearest, longest friends.

Only if there is mutual lack of attraction.

That depends on the intent of both.

Yes. Completely.

However, there is a grey fuzzy area that exists between being friends and lovers. We often move in and out of this space naturally. We can also have romantic feelings for friends, hence bromances. The journey usually stops naturally by itself because one or both parties are simply not sexually attracted enough.

But I believe intimacy and romantic feelings can potentially lead to physical intimacy more easily than most people realise. This would explain how some straight men fall in love with fellow inmates in prison. The desire for intimacy is strong.

I can only say I have a women really good friend and I'm not physically attracted to her. she has never shown any interest in that way with me either.

It's completely individual, and there are always mitigating factors.

Most certainly can, and do.

Yes they can. It's about a conglomerate of things. Attractiveness, chemistry, and preferences.

Yes of course. I have many friends of the opposite sex. It helps that I am a teacher and they are my colleagues. These relationships are as platonic as the relationship I would have with my sister. (I don't actually have a sister but I can imagine what it because of my many "sisters" at school.)

I generally make friends easier with females. I prefer to become friends first before getting involved with anyone. If it looks like our lives are not on the same path, I'd rather remain friends than attempt a relationship that will most likely end after a short period of time.

I prefer to be "just friends" with anyone I happen to meet and if anything else comes out of the initial friendship, I deal with that as it happens.

Absolutely they can my best friend is woman and we're as close as you can get and we've never slept together and at this point it would be too awkward if we did we've moved beyond that to the point where nothing can come between us not even another person our loyalty is to each other first and nothing will change that

I think it is perfectly normal to have a platonic relationship between friends of the opposite sex. I have many female friends who I would never consider sleeping with.

No problem. I have multiple female friends that I would make no moves to be romantically onvolved with. Sure, I may have entertained the thoughts, but I value them as friends.

Yes they can. But it all depends on the two people and their relationship. When I was younger I had a harder time with this. Not so much now.

I have had female friends at different times in my life. Attraction has had nothing to do with it.

Yes, I've done it. I didn't find them attractive though But it still counts.

Yes,I have female friends.That in no way could I imagine in any other way as friends.

Yes, I have been just friends with many females in my lifetime. There has to be a connection for me to take it past just a friendship. Yes, physical attraction plays a part as well.

Yes, straight men and straight/bi/lesbian women can be just (strictly platonic) friends. I value friendships greatly and can be strictly platonic with any person who I may be attracted to. I'm terribly cerebral and so I love stimulating intellectual conversations - I guess being 100% left brained, it's easy for me to converse with males. Otherwise, I've learned sadly though that most straight, married, single, gay, young, old, hearing or Deaf, it does not matter -- 99% of them refuses to be friends due to fear of losing their partner. When I was younger, thinner and prettier I was avoided like plague. Still, I learned, now that I'm older, fatter and less prettier, still being avoided due of them fearing their partner's jealousy. Too many insecure jealous partners fear they will stray. So that tells me a lot of how many insecure couples are denying themselves healthy platonic friends with variety of people. I cannot believe and will never believe that one partner is your ALL for all of your intellectual, emotional, spiritual, social needs. Couples must learn to trust each other. When I date or with a partner, I'm strictly monogamous. But if a person gets all clingy, jealous and possessive of me and starts dictating who I can talk with or socialize with - that person is out of my life. Mettā is a Pali word, from maitrī itself derived from mitra which, states Monier-Williams, means "friendly, amicable, benevolent, affectionate, kind, good-will",[13] as well as a form of "love, amity, sympathy".[14] These are all traits that would heal so many individuals in this nuclear obsessed society. In Europe where I have a large Italian family - many single relatives, friends, family-friends were always invited to our family dinners. Not so much here in Amerika seemingly (from what I've seen personally that is). It can be done but it takes very strong people with clear communication and trust from their partners or if single, with themselves to form a healthy platonic friendship. There is one organization that I joined and it's been a great experience as I met a lot of healthy couples who befriended me without issues - Care Share Time Bank are quite advanced open minded group. Great question you asked!

Yes. I am male and I have several female friends. Completely without sex or complications. Do I think they are attractive? Yes. But I (and they) do not want sex messing everything up.