Acharya Prashant defines a true friend as someone whose company uplifts one's mind, provides clarity, and helps one become a better individual. He argues that there is no reason why a man and a woman cannot share such a relationship. In fact, he suggests that certain aspects of one's personality, which he refers to as the "animal" within, remain hidden in same-sex groups but become apparent in the presence of the opposite gender. A wise friend of the opposite sex can point out these subconscious urges and biological instincts in real-time, helping the individual recognize where they are failing to be truly human. He emphasizes that understanding the opposite gender is essential for understanding the wholeness of life and oneself. Since women constitute half of the world's population, a man cannot claim to understand life if he remains isolated from them. He warns that gender segregation, often promoted by conservative cultures and religions, leads to desperation, perversion, and over-sexualization. When people are deprived of the company of the opposite sex, they develop fancies and illusions rather than a realistic understanding, which often results in poor life choices, such as choosing the wrong life partner out of starvation for female company. Finally, he explains that the more one is kept away from the other gender, the more they identify with their own gender and, consequently, their physical body. This body identification is the root cause of personal and global problems. He asserts that in a liberal, awakened, and spiritual society, men and women should mingle freely. Such interaction reduces lust and desperation because it replaces juvenile imagination with actual knowledge. He concludes that being friends with the opposite sex is not just possible but necessary to avoid becoming a caricature and to achieve a more sophisticated and developed state of consciousness.