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lil  ·  4395 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: An age old question.

    These friendship pairs were then separated, and each member of each pair was asked a series of questions related to his or her romantic feelings (or lack thereof) toward the friend with whom they were taking the study.
mk I have some problems with this study as well. No stats and no details about what questions were asked -- and how did they define "friends"? The possibility of romance or a clothing malfunction does not necessarily mean that the friendship is not real - especially if friendship is undefined.

    Although women seem to be genuine in their belief that opposite-sex friendships are platonic, men seem unable to turn off their desire for something more.

and what does "platonic" mean in this sentence. If there is a desire but no action, is it not still platonic? In both men and women, I've noticed that desire is not just lust. Being a friend, includes desiring and enjoying someone's company, appreciating their help, laughing together. These are all activities that build friendship and increase desire - even if someone is not initially your type. Proximity is not the only reason friends have sex, but it is very often the deciding factor. Oh dear, I just met theadvancedapes and thought we were going to be friends. I guess not.