Guys and girls have been hooking up for ages and giving into their carnal desires. Some of these hookups may even develop into a relationship. But there are those rare occasions where a guy and girl are “just friends.” Can people of the opposite sex truly maintain a platonic relationship?

If a guy and a girl are both interested in their same sexes respectively, then maintaining a sex-free relationship is very easy. There is little to no sexual tension because they have no desire to get with the other.

Friendships get a bit more complicated, though, when the two involved are heterosexual. If you look anywhere in society today, you can see this struggle between men and women.

Take the movie, “Just Friends,” for example. In this movie, Chris Brander (Ryan Reynolds) tries to build a romantic relationship with his long-time best friend Jamie Palamino (Amy Smart).

Brander wants something more, but Palamino initially doesn’t. The whole movie encompasses their complex relationship and whether the two can really remain just friends.

Psychology Today wrote an article about this issue, breaking down the main obstacles standing in the way of a “cross-sex relationship,” including doubt from the public and sexual tension. Despite all these factors, the publication found that platonic relationships can exist, though not devoid of problems.

Serina Hasanji, a junior double-majoring in anthropology and political science, feels that it’s easy to be friends with a guy when you’re not attracted to him.

“Platonic relationships do exist,” she said. “There are certain guy friends that I would never do stuff with. I don’t know if they feel the same way, but that’s how I feel.”

And according to a survey by http://www.Match.com, which interviewed more than 1,450 of its members, 83 percent of those who participated believed nonphysical relationships between men and women could exist. It seems the general consensus is that these relationships can work and Madeleine Manbeck, a junior double-majoring in political science and history, agrees.

“I have a lot of guy friends,” she said. “I have a long-distance relationship, but I’m still able to maintain friendships with guys at my school.”

However, the study also found that 94 percent of its members believe it is possible to fall in love with someone who first enters your life as a friend. So while a friendship may not start out as romantic, if those inner sexual desires are there it can develop into something more.

“My last relationship started as a friendship,” said Geoff Hetherington, a senior majoring in computer science. “I think doing it that way gives you a stronger base for the relationship to build on.”

It doesn’t seem like there is any clear-cut answer to this question. While there are many platonic guy-girl relationships in the world, there are also many that develop into love, or at least a sexual connection.

Perhaps men and women can remain solely friends, as long as they choose to do so and either control their urges or don’t have any at all.