Can a man and woman ever really be just friends?

 Of course—but according to new research, that doesn’t mean they won’t think of each other naked, too.

A study team  recruited 44 pairs of college-age guy-girl friends, separated them, and asked each a series of questions about their attraction to their “buddy.” The average length of the friendship was two years, though some had been friends for 10 years or more.

The findings: Regardless of the length of the friendship, men were roughly 24 percent more attracted to their friend, and were 17 percent more interested in dating. But, even among women, the average desire to date was rated about a 4 on a 9-point scale—not exactly just-friends territory.

Researchers then repeated aspects of the experiment with older adults, and found similar results across all age groups: On average, men felt twice as much attraction to their female friends than vice versa. Want to take your platonic relationship with her to the next level?You have to Escape the Friend Zone.

What’s the takeaway here? Men and women can have great friendships, but often those friendships involve some degree of attraction, which usually comes from the guy mostly,  this attraction can add fun or excitement to the friendship (the hated 6-letter "F" word) but usually becomes an obstacle—though not an insurmountable one.

So now the big questions:

1. What do you say to your girl  friend if one of her guy buddies makes you uncomfortable? 
2. And how do you answer her when she’s got doubts about your best girl pal? 
3. How do you explain that you are just friends when your girl Pal is cold and borrows you jacket and now it has her fragrance all over it?

   Scenario 1: You think one of her guy friends might be interested in more than friendship with you Lady.
The tactic: Be positive and constructive,  What does that mean? “Avoid saying things like you don’t understand men, or he’s just trying to get in your pants.” Sit her down, and tell her you think she’s beautiful, and you know guys have problems compartmentalizing friendship and attraction around beautiful women. You can’t ask her to stop being friends with the guy, but you can request to be included in their friendship. That means she invites you along when they hang out, and she doesn’t discuss your relationship with him.

Scenario 2: She thinks one of the girl pals you hang out with is into you.
The tactic: Don’t dismiss her concerns as silly or unfounded. As the research above shows, women often are at least a little attracted to their male friends, and you wouldn’t want your own worries shot down so casually. Be honest with yourself,. That means you have to figure out whether you really are just friends, or if there’s an underlying attraction that could lead to cheating. Either way, you need to follow the advice from the first scenario: Include your partner in the friendship, and agree you won’t hang out with the female friend one-on-one without asking her to come along first.

Want to make your girl friend your girlfriend? Of course you do. In a study where 88 opposite-sex pairs of friends filled out questionnaires about their relationship, guys were more likely to be attracted to their female pals than the other way around, the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships found.

Men were also more likely to overestimate their female friends’ attraction to them. So if you find yourself wanting to jump from the Friendship Zone to the Relation Ship—abide by these four strategies to make the tricky transition go as smooth as possible. (But believe me: There are still plenty of Good Reasons, experts will tell you,  Not to Sleep with Her.) I'm trying to focus on that previous statement while looking at this picture. I can't think clearly anymore and I'm assuming most guys and some gals would not either!

1. Assess the Situation
First, is she available? If she has a boyfriend, is just getting over someone, or is confused about what she wants, it’s a red light,. Otherwise you’ll look like you’re trying to seize an opportunity, which could leave her feeling betrayed. If, however, you spend lots of one-on-one time together, your interactions often feel like dates, or they have a romantic energy about them, those are good signs that you could become something more than friends. If she undresses in front of you and have no problem asking you if you think she needs a tummy-tuck. Them you are Safe to make a move.

2. Test the Waters In conversation mention, ‘Gee, if I were dating you, I would do x, y, z," and see her reaction to it, If it makes her uncomfortable or she laughs and says, ‘Oh stop!’ with an awkward smile, you may be crossing the boundary and need to respect that she may simply just want to be friends with you. But if she seems genuinely interested in how you would treat her—for instance, she asks follow-up questions to your hypothetical scenario—she may already be thinking you’re boyfriend material, in addition if she jumps on your back and says: "your first duty as my boyfriend  is to carry me to your car," you are in like Flin. 

3. Make a Pact
You have to know going in that there’s a risk of ruining your friendship if a relationship ultimately doesn’t work out. Make a pact to not let that happen. If you’re going to risk a great friendship, make sure two elements—respect and communication—are always there. Because hopefully they’ll still be there and you can go back to being friends. Good luck with that one.

4. Find the Right Moment
Telling her you want to date her while drunk and sitting in the middle of a crowded bar surrounded by a group of people: Bad idea, dude. Women are often very sensitive to context, so even if she feels the same way about you, she may not feel comfortable telling you in that moment. Your game plan: Confess your feelings when the two of you are alone. Make sure you’re in a fun, romantic context such as out to dinner, on a walk, or shopping together to help set the tone. Then, depending on the situation, put your arm around her, hold her hand, or say: I’m just going to do something here, and lean in for a kiss. These actions give her the opportunity to reciprocate if she feels the same way.

 If you try all the above and fail then make a joke out of it like this guy,