Well, Harry might be on to something. But then again, so might Sally. How you see that so-called platonic friendship may depend on whether you're Harry or Sally, or in other words, a man or a woman. Turns out, we see our heterosexual friends of the opposite sex, in seemingly opposite ways. And it's not just fodder for romantic comedies (like When Harry Met Sally), but also for academic research. Can we really be "just friends"?

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Can men and women be "just friends"? - Author of Study

We are just going to be friends, OK?

Great! Friends. It's the best thing.

If you've seen When Harry Met Sally, you know where this conversation goes next. Perhaps you've even had this conversation.

The idea that heterosexual men and women can't be friends is a staple of romantic comedy -- event a bit of a cliché. But a new study suggests that Harry may be more than a smug little creep, He may be a correct smug little creep.

April Bleske-Rechek is the lead author of the study Benefit or Burden? Attraction in cross sex friendship (PDF). She's also a professor of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin.

Can men and women be "just friends"? - Sexologist

So, Buddies with Boundaries .... or Friends with Benefits? And what about marriage -- how much friendship can it sustain?

Trina Read is a sexologist who writes and speaks frequently about sex and relationships. Her most recent book is Till Sex Do Us Part: Make Your Married Sex Irresistible. Trina Read was in Calgary.

Can men and women be "just friends"? - Panel

We started this segment with some thoughts from Halifax on an age-old question, Can men and women be "just friends"?

It's a question familiar to TV viewers of programs from Seinfeld to The Walking Dead. So familiar, in fact, that some wonder why we're still stuck asking it.

Our next two guests have some thoughts on that. Greg Hudson is the associate editor of Sharp Magazine. He was in Toronto. And Leah McLaren is a national columnist for the Globe and Mail. She was in London, England.

This segment was produced by The Current's Sujata Berry and Jessica DeMillo.

Other segments from today's show:

Canada-China Agreement (FIPA)

Secret service agents on guarding the lives of others