Friendship between a man and a woman is a very controversial topic in society and many people even consider that it is practically impossible for a real and lasting friendship to occur between men and women. Despite being a topic on which some researchers have even carried out studies, it is true that it also turns out to be a very difficult situation to measure accurately due to its high degree of subjectivity since each person experiences things differently. interpersonal relationships and in this case a friendship relationship with someone of the opposite sex.
This is why in this Psychology-Online article:there is true friendship between man and woman? Rather than giving you an exact and 100% correct answer, we are going to do a small analysis of what it means to have a friendship with a person of the opposite sex.
True friendship between men and women
Next, we are going to tell you the results of a study carried out by researchers at the University of Wisconsin regarding this topic.
Friends of the opposite sex: what does science say?
Some scientists at the University of Wisconsin who were highly interested in this topic about friendship between man and womanthey did an investigation where they summoned a large group of couples of friends (man and woman) and spoke with them separately, promising not to let the person know the answers to what they asked them and the result was the following:
- Most men They misinterpreted the signs of their female friends and had the belief that they were really attracted to them. On the contrary, most women did not feel that supposed attraction that their male friends said they felt towards them.
- Finally, as a conclusion to this study, it was deduced that the friendship between a man and a woman is almost impossible since it often happens that one of the parties experiences a certain sexual attraction towards their friend, so we cannot speak of a real friendship.
We must keep in mind that although the study has reached the conclusion that it is almost impossible for a true friendship to exist between a man and a woman, there will always be exceptions since this issue is actually quite subjective. Plus, sometimes it’s complicated.
It is possible to have a friend without one or both of them feeling attraction for the other, however it is more likely to be achieved when both are really interested in another person, when it is a friendship of many years and with Over time it has become clear that there is no other type of bond beyond the friendship between the two, among some other situations where it is defined from the beginning that there is no other type of interest involved. There are many types of friendship between man and womanHowever, each one has a special and unique bond.
Friendship concept between man and woman
On some occasions at the beginning of the friendship relationship, both are truly not interested in having another type of relationship beyond friendship with the other, however it is true that there are factors that can intervene so that they unintentionally begin to have loving feelings. even without realizing it. When it arises, it is important to take into account the following factors:
- The degree of physical closeness What you have with the person is something very important that can cause one or both parties to begin to fall in love. This can translate into hugs, caresses, rubbing and physical contact on a continuous basis.
- The time spent with that person, since seeing your friend or calling them on the phone once a month is not the same as doing it every day or several times a week.
- He level of intimacy and trust is also a very important factor. For example, when your friend is your accomplice in everything you do, when you tell him/her everything that happens to you without censorship, when the degree of trust is high enough that you feel that you can trust him/her with your eyes. closed, etc.
- When your friend seems like an attractive person, it is more likely that, adding the previous points, you will fall in love with him/her.
Can a man and a woman be true friends?
A friendship relationship in itself, whether it is made up of people of the same sex and/or the opposite sex, is an extremely enriching experience that makes us grow and be better people when it comes to a healthy and sincere relationship.
Benefits of being friends with the opposite sex
In this case, friendship with a person of the opposite sex can give us a lot since apart from helping us get to know ourselves better, we can also learn a lot from each other. Among other benefits that having a friendship of the opposite sex can bring us, are the following:
- They help us to better understand the way of thinking and the general behavior of people of the opposite sex. For example, the fact that, as we saw in the results of the study, men tend to misinterpret the signals of their friends, points of view can be exchanged and explained why men tend to think that way and/or why women do not. They usually think like this, among many more situations.
- we can receive most accurate advice in case of having a conflict with our partner or when dating someone since, as mentioned above, they are more likely to know the general way of thinking of the person of the same sex.
- It can help you Be more tolerant with people of the opposite sex by helping you perceive a different vision of things.
- It is much less likely that there will be any situation of envy or rivalry between the two.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
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