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Can men and women just be friends? Age-old and cliche rhetoric...
I am looking for people to hang out with and probably not ready for a romantic relationship after a recent divorce. I'm literally going to meetup.com looking for people to hang out with. Can you do stuff with members of the opposite sex as friends?

UrsiMajor 8 July 31
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81 comments

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1

Of course they can. I have ex-girlfriends who are still great friends of mine, not all but most, my ex-wife is still a friend, our divorce was very civilized, we always keep in touch even though she lives in Boston and I in WPB, Florida, our daughter studies in Montreal. I admit it was my fault, I had a one night stand in one of my constant trips overseas, this lady would not stop sending me emails and I was dumb enough to reply to all of them, and even though I never saw the woman in person ever again, my wife found the emails. Stupid mistake that ruined a 10 year marriage, but I did apologize profusely for all the hurt and recognized and accepted that it was my fault. Perhaps that is why we have always kept in touch, both of us remarried. You live and learn from your mistakes.

6

Absolutely! I prefer the company of women generally and I hope to find a travel buddy.

6

I have lots of male friends...and yes, just friends and nothing else other than hugs "hello" and "good bye"...I would suggest maybe doing things with a group until you feel comfortable enough for being alone...set up boundaries for yourself and others...good luck and have fun!

6

I have a grand total of one guy friend who hasn't tried to booty call me at some point. He lives overseas. So, in my experience... not so much. I see a lot of guys saying otherwise, though, so maybe I just I only know horndogs.

@Shelton Well, I wasn't talking about anyone I'm actually dating, I was talking about people who are supposed to be "just friends." People who get second dates and unprompted texts are usually in the "mutually attracted" category ?

5

I think so but I'm a woman. Apparently all men want to have sex with their female friends, regardless if they're attracted to them or not. I'll be interested to read comments from the guys on here.

Like a Cad , I Embarrassingly propositioned a lady friend of my wife’s and mine once. She was not offended and graciously gave me a hug and laughed . We do have that little secret and are as always great ( and close) friends . I do have many other female “just friends “.

5

Yes and No.

It's complicated territory...when a man and a woman click..thats great..and when they have a lot in common..its even better.
When you feel alive in their company..what could be better for two friends?
When you share your deepest fears and greatest joys..its wonderful to have that trust in a friendship.

Then you both get tipsy on that third glass of wine and end up rolling around the floor in unbridled passion on the floor...

Then What? Hmnn?

4

I think it is important to maintain friendships with both men and women. I certainly get far more pertinent relationship advice from my female friends than from my male ones (and vice versa)!

All my long term relationships have started as friendships first. I think that having that basis of friendship contributed to the longevity of the relationship because we had a deeper connection than just sexual attraction.

Strabo Level 6 July 31, 2018
4

I love meeting new people and hanging with old friends through Meetup. I meet both men, women and couples in group settings. Granted many of the singles are looking for more than friendship, so I have learned to be really clear from the outset that I'm not looking for a relationship. I just want to do social and outdoor activities with people in a safe setting.

Yes, some male friends will playfully hit on me or ask to do things together alone with me. I keep it light and warm, but am firm in my stance. I often meet female friends for activities outside of Meetup, but I'm careful with meeting male friends alone, as I don't want them to think it's a date. I try to stick with group settings as far as men go.

When meeting with male friends alone, there so often is an uneasiness coming from some sort of one sided sexual desire - and an underlying pressure to seduce. So, you just have to be clear that is not your intent.

3

Meet up has great humanist groups and anything else to match your interest depending on the size of your city.
It’s really up to you to set boundaries. I’ve been successful with male friends my whole life by setting expectations out front.
Have fun with it!

3

For sure! I have plenty of guy friends who are nothing but guy friends.

3

Depends on the guy and what he wants. For any kind of relationship to work, both people have to agree. If the guy is constantly angling for more, then no. If the woman is shutting down his ability to have an intimate relationship with a different woman, than no. Both are the cliche things that happen...

If they agree, then sue.

3

Meetup is good. Many local/regional groups provide meetings' info for michigan atheists.

One of my long time friends is a women i met in 93. Regular lunches and message exchanges.

Both me and the wif have had friends of both sexes forever. How can that be wrong?

JacarC Level 8 July 31, 2018
3

Yup, it happens all the time. Doesn’t mean feelings might not get involved at some point

3

Absolutely. I’m more comfortable confiding my personal stuff with my lady friends than my dudes.

Josh87 Level 4 July 31, 2018
3

Absolutely

Hihi Level 6 July 31, 2018
3

Sure, why not? I've got a few male friends. When I was younger it was harder, but I think as I've gotten older it's easier for me to have male friends without any expectations of it turning into something else, and if feelings do come up they're way more manageable.

3

I guess roughly 75% of my true friends are women. Of those, 99% are "just" friends. My m.o. is to default to the woman controlling the relationship trajectory. This makes for very comfortable friendships.

my Chinese name is baoyu… 😉

Smart man!!!

3

Well, in my anecdotal experience, this is the only kind of relationship with the opposite sex that I have these days. So yeah, it's possible. I am speaking from the masculine perspective, so ymmv.

zeuser Level 9 July 31, 2018
3

Of course. Well, I can only speak for myself, but I have lots of friends who are women. In many ways I prefer their company over men because they tend to be more able to focus. Yes, I know that is contrary to the stereotypical woman meme.

2

Yes and do.

2

Yes, if he's not interested in you sexually. If he is, no.

2

When I lived in Europe that question did not exist in all minds. I had many friends; both men & women. Here, in immaturity land, Christian country, that is a valid question that neither men nor women know the answer to?

Atlas Level 3 Feb 9, 2019
2

Of course. I do it all the time. In fact, mostly all the time. My friends around me locally are just that. I'm also on a chat site.These chatters are from San Diego, Tahoe, San Clemente, etc. etc. Not to be confused with a dating site where people of the opposite sex actually touch. My local peeps sing karaoke at different venues. That's all we do!!

2

Absolutely! I get along better with men. Even as a kid I preferred hanging with the boys.

2

I wish you all the best. I'm sorry that it's not given for you that the answer is yes. All it takes is genuine people.

Stig Level 5 Sep 26, 2018
2

All the time. If we didn't have friends of both sexes we wouldn't be able to get along and work. Would be like Muslims. Friends can occasionally be attracted to one another, but we get along with lots of friends all day long.

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