To a certain point I do believe that guy-girl platonic friendships can work and remain platonic, however there are certain lines that shouldn’t be crossed in order for those friendships to remain non-romantic. Some ways we could keep our friendships platonic could be to:
1. See them as your family- as your brother or sister
2. Avoid ‘pair pressure’- avoid the pressure from matchmakers that try to pair compatible people together
3. Don't get flirty- flirting may seem like fun at the time, however it’s destructive for platonic friendships
I read an article online that talked all about guy-girl friendships. A university did a study and found out that most people think it’s possible for guys and girls to be ‘just friends’. However, the feelings of what if, of perceived opportunities for romance, are always lurking around the corner, waiting to pounce on us at the most unfortunate times. Like when Rachael realised she loved Ross so she went to the airport to meet him and confess her true feelings, only to find out that Ross has a new girlfriend Julie.
I feel like there are definitely some types of friendships where romantic feelings never occur; one person might be married or in a relationship, for example, or they might be a lot older of a lot younger. But for those friendships where both parties are single to mingle, there is always the option that if there were ever a spark, then perhaps something might happen. Interestingly, the study found that of the people interviewed the girls didn’t have feelings for the guys, but the guys had feelings for the girls, and the girls had no idea. Guys also overestimated the strength of their female friends’ attraction to them. So basically, guys are under the impression that their female friends think they're hot stuff way more than what the girls actually do in real life. Sometimes mutual sexual attraction is present in a friendship, and then other times it’s misinterpreted as being present in a friendship, which is usually misinterpreted by guys (sorry guys).
I think what it comes down to is if you see the guy/girl as a potential option or not. If you really just see them as your brother or sister, then you’re probably not going to develop romantic feelings for them. However, if you’re attracted to each other, you're always going to be wondering if something might happen, if they're going to develop feelings for you, or you for them. If something happens it’s definitely best to sort it out quickly, to talk about whatever is going on. Nip the feelings in the bud, or let them blossom, the choice is up to you…what's it going to be? Haha, this sounds like a game show. Do you want the money or the bag? In reality you can’t really lose though. You either get an amazing platonic friend, or an amazing best friend slash girlfriend/boyfriend. Boom!
P.S. Check out this interesting video I found on YouTube. A guy goes and interviews a whole bunch of people at a university. So funny hearing the differences between the guy and girl answers.