Most relationships start off being purely platonic. You don’t expect them to become romantic or intimate. However, things change. And sometimes they get really weird. In this article, we examined all the details of the platonic relationship.
When two individuals develop feelings toward each other, they call their relationship platonic because their love isn’t sexual. Platonic relationships might include friendship, a nonsexual friendship between two people who enjoy spending time together, or even a parent-child bond. If you date someone who shares these qualities with you, then you may be experiencing platonic love.
Platonic relationships can last forever, but they also come with challenges. They aren’t always emotionally fulfilling or exciting, and you don’t always get the same kind of support from friends and family members. But platonic relationships can bring you closer to those around you, and they can help you develop into an accomplished independent adult.
Contents of Article:
- #1 What Is a Platonic Relationship?
- #2 Platonic Relationship vs Romantic Relationship
- #3 If You Want to Make A Platonic Relationship Work, Follow These Guidelines
- #4 Signs Your Relationship Isn’t Romantic
- #5 There Are Three Types of Platonic Relationships
- #6 How to Form a Platonic Relationship
- #7 Benefits of Platonic Relationships
#1 What Is a Platonic Relationship?
A platonic relationship involves two people who share a close emotional connection without having sex. Platonic feelings between partners might even be stronger than romantic attraction. Platonic forms were first proposed by Plato, who lived between 427–347 BC, from which the word “Plato” is derived.
Plato thought that romantic love was important for bringing humans together, but he didn’t think it was the most important kind of love. It is true that the term platonic was originally used to refer to two things. First, it referred to an ideal form of sexual relations between men; second, and most frequently used today, it refers to two friends who may be both opposite-gender and same-gender friendships can be considered platonic.
#2 Platonic Relationship vs Romantic Relationship
Platonic relationships differ significantly from romantic ones. Platonic friendships usually don’t include any sexual or physical contact between friends because they’re not romantically involved; however, platonic friendships may involve some emotional closeness.
You may want affection from another person, including hugging, kissing, and touching or even just having them spend the night at your place, but you aren’t necessarily interested in having any sexual activity with them. Even though there may be no physical intimacy or sexual contact between you and another human being, it is not necessarily a romantic relationship:
- Deep friendships involve sharing personal details,
- But some people who get together may or may not want to engage in sexual activity in Romantic Relationship,
- No physical intimacy or sex occurs in Platonic Relationship,
- Deep friendship involves sharing things with someone,
- It usually includes both people wanting to be physically intimate in Romantic Relationship.
#3 If You Want to Make A Platonic Relationship Work, Follow These Guidelines:
#3.1 Be clear about what you’re going to do:
Try not to get stuck in the friends-first trap. Even if two people agree that they’re not ready to enter into any kind of romantic partnership because of such factors as their marital status, work or study conditions, or religious beliefs, the potential for a romantic connection remains present. You can be less formal when talking to someone who you consider your friend, in which you take an approach similar to caring for someone who is younger than yourself rather than treating them as a parent, if that person is someone you know well enough to call ‘friend’.
#3.2 Have faith in yourself:
All the possibilities aside, believe in your choice. Society and nature aren’t responsible for your decisions. That much is clear enough. But you’re also responsible for your own actions and life path. You’ve got to take responsibility for yourself; you can’t blame others for your faults and shortcomings. And if you’re really serious about this platonia thing, then accept that neither one of you is the kind of person who can fulfill each other’s needs, no matter how hard you try.
#3.3 Look at the advantages of having a platonic relationship:
Being platonic instead of romantic helps you gain something. Platonic relationship provide benefits including:
- Each of you benefits by having another perspective on the kinds of challenges you face when dealing with others.
- They endure because you don’t just blindly follow them into situations where they might be dangerous. You understand that there are times when they need to take care of themselves, but you also know that if something happens, they will look out for you first.
- You don’t suffer from the intimate aspects of romantic love and sexual relationships, so there aren’t any accompanying worries, uncertainties, complications, etc.
- If you’re both men, you can learn about each other in an uncomplicated and non-judgmental way; if you’re both women, you can learn about one another in a uncomplicated and nonjudgmental way.
- You may not get the platonic friendship you’re looking for, but there will be someone who has been through similar situations and could give you honest, fearless, and frank feedback.
- You don’t need to show off for each other; you’re both who you are.
#3.4 If they ask if there is anything going on between us, reassure them:
If you want to know whether your friend is interested in dating you, then it might help if you talk about her previous relationships and ask why she broke up with them. You shouldn’t treat your friends’ romantic partners any differently from their non romantic ones, even if they’re platonic friends Be careful when entering into potentially compromising relationships such as staying late at someone’s place without them knowing/agreeing.
Understand that even though your friend may be concerned about your platonic friendship, they’re not necessarily trying to sabotage it. To help prevent issues, tell your spouse that you’re okay with him/her doing whatever they want with their platonic friends because he/she has “platonic friends” too. You’d rather keep things light hearted than complain about anything that comes up. Also, don’t keep secrets from each other. Don’t hide any behavior with someone who isn’t your spouse. And don’t replace your relationship with your partner.
#3.5 Don’t be unrealistic:
If your partner doesn’t feel any kind of tension between you, then they might not be interested at all. So, the deliberately suppressed tension in your relationship might make it work well. When they’re working together, this often fulfilled yet potentially real possibility can help bring out the creative genius in them both. Even though we shouldn’t necessarily act upon it, some acknowledgement that it might be part of what makes our platonic friends work so well often helps us acknowledge it too.
#3.6 Accept the possibility of tension:
There may be tension between two people who are not romantically involved. If you’re not interested in someone of the opposite sex, chances are that you’d be able to keep your interest, even if they were interested in you. To avoid tension between the two of you:
- It doesn’t matter if you’re attracted to your platonic friend. You shouldn’t flirt with them.
- Do not compliment her romantically (i.e., not give her flowers) unless she asks for them first.
- Avoiding physical forms of touching that are appropriate between friends or family members but not appropriate when talking to someone rom.
#4 Signs Your Relationship Isn’t Romantic
Platonic relationships tend to be characterized by certain features that differentiate them from other forms of romantic relationships. A platonic relationship often involves no sexual activity but has some common features including:
Closeness: both people in the relationship share common traits and feelings. They also both sense a closeness between themselves and each other and experience an emotional bond.
Honesty: Both people agree that honesty is important. They both feel comfortable sharing their true opinions.
Relating: These couples tend to feel relaxed and at ease when relating to each other. They both agree that they’re free to be themselves, even though they may not always completely agree.
Understanding: A relationship between two people who share an emotional bond has a deeper meaning than one where there is no understanding. They don’t push you into doing things you aren’t happy doing or becoming something you’re not.
A platonic relationship is usually just friendship between two people. And although nonsexual connections share a common characteristic—lack of sexuality—it doesn’t necessarily imply that the people involved aren’t interested in one another or cannot become sexually attractive to one another.
#5 There Are Three Types of Platonic Relationships:
There are several different ways in which people refer to platonic relationships; here are some examples:
A bromance: A relationship between two men who develop an emotional bond and are inseparable friends.
Woman’s friendship: A term used to describe a strong, emotionally intimate relationship between two female friends.
Working spouse: A phrase often used to describe a close relationship between employees who do not necessarily sleep together.
#6 How to Form a Platonic Relationship?
Platonically romantic relationships can be important psychologically. Research shows that having supportive people in our lives helps us stay healthier both mentally and physically. Building a network that includes family members, close friendships, and other loved people can help keep us healthy.
You may want to take some steps to encourage platonic friendships. These might be helpful for keeping friends who aren’t necessarily romantic partners:
- Get involved in communities, whether they’re online or offline,
- Join workshops or take part in training sessions on topics that interest you,
- Volunteering for causes you believe in helps you make a difference in the world.
It’s not just about developing new platonic relationships; it’s also important to know how to maintain the ones you already have. You can be supportive by being respectful, keeping your cool, and not taking things personally.You can maintain boundaries by setting clear limits.
#7 Benefits of Platonic Relationships
You may want to be open to both romantic and non-romantic friendships and/or sexual involvements at different times. These relationships may help enrich your life by providing you with some of the following benefits. Let’s talk about the benefits of a platonic relationship:
#7.1 Better health
It seems that having love and support in your personal lives can be beneficial for both physical and mental wellness. If you’re physically healthy, having supportive friendships may help prevent diseases, boost your immune system, and reduce your risks for depression and anxiety.
If you’re feeling lonely or isolated, consider tapping into your social support network by reaching out to friends and family members for their advice. They listen carefully to what you have to offer, provide feedback to help them understand where they’re going wrong, and try to cheer you up when you’re down.
#7.2 Less stress = happier life
Stress takes a terrible physical and mental impact on both your body and mind. It may be helpful to take breaks from your stressful job, but if you’re stressed out chronically, there could be some serious consequences. It may also help with some types of mental health issues, including anxiety or even milder forms of clinical depressive symptoms.
Strong platonic relationships have been shown to be helpful for coping with sources of stress. Besides that, not only that, but forming supportive platonic friendships often helps lower the amount of mental health issues that people experience.
#7.3 Increasing resilience
Platonic relationships can help you improve your resilience by encouraging you to be open to people in whom you feel no romantic interest. Your platonic relationship can help you get through any stormy times, whether they be in your romantic life, your family, at work, or for your health.
A study by researchers at Cornell University showed that one of the most important factors influencing people’s recovery from stress is having good social relationships.
In this article, we examined all the details of the platonic relationship. If you want to fix your relationship, you can read the How to Improve Your Relationship With Your Partner – Relationship Advice | Part -1 article I wrote as someone who is in a long relationship. Don’t forget, strong relationships are relationships that always have communication.