“Seduction was never a casual sport for me; it was more like a heist, adrenalizing and urgent. I would plan the heist for months, scouting out the target, looking for unguarded entries. Then I would break into his deepest vault, steal all his emotional currency and spend it on myself.”

There is a reason so many refer to her best known work as “Eat, Prey, Betray” and people who profess a huge fondness for that book are regarded with suspicion by many betrayed partners.

The subsequent book cemented that as a huge red flag for people who date with a hope for a honest, committed relationship.

Glad life is treating you well. May you enjoy even greater success!

I’m sure they were all loveable young things back then in their student days.

I’m hoping it wasn’t Boris, lol

Given our recent run of Prime Ministers in the UK, I can see why she was holding out 😉

Hi Eva,

It’s a good question, and one that comes up a lot. I think the only real answer is – yes, men and women can be friends, but it inevitably comes with risks.

Everything will be alright as long as none of the parties involved have any inconvenient emotions. Humans being what they are, though, there’s usually concerns about escalating affection, jealousy from partners (and arguments about emotional affairs), and disagreements about what level of intimacy is appropriate (kissing, hugging, sharing a hotel room?).

The times when it works tend to be when the friends have known each other a long time – usually before they met their romantic partners – both are in relationships, and the partners have met and got to know the friend too.

So, it’s probably somewhere between: “Don’t be ridiculous, it’s asking for trouble” and “Don’t be ridiculous, of course men and women can be friends”

A question keeps popping up in my head: Can someone really be friends with the opposite sex? Friends with no sexual intention? Because I’m married and that’s what I wish for 🙂
I read a study which indicates that friendships between sexes are possible, but when the friendship doesn’t turn into a pair bond, it would be normal that one person desires the other person while the other person doesn’t, and vice versa.

I really want to befriend (some) men with no sexual intentions as long as I can remember, and they also like me on a platonic level. People told me I had a crush on them. I didn’t necessarily. A man’s perspective is just interesting for me from an intellectual standpoint. Moreover, I show some behaviour patterns a lot of people would consider “male” while I I still feel like a heterosexual cis-woman.
When I befriend a man, he is like a brother to me (as I’m married and an only child). But the world doesn’t understand. My best pal (who I’m not limerent for) is a 44-year-old man whose wife doesn’t know. Of course. This is the way society works, and it’s ok. But from time to time, I wish a woman could be platonic friends with a man without “Hahaha, she has a crush on him!”, “Does your husband know?”, “You can call me now, my wife will return in 15 minutes.”
I’m a bit jealous of men who can just be “bros” with no one asking questions 😉
I read that friendships between sexes require a lot of boundaries and negotiation.

(If I can work the friendship thing out, it will be a lot harder to be limerent for someone.)