Something to ponder.

A woman who is quick to read thoughtfulness and every little positive action from a man to mean that the man is in a relationship with her is likely to be in a phantom relationship. Such a woman ignores every other sign that contradicts her belief and she holds fast onto a relationship that only exists as a fantasy.

Men, on the other hand, believe that deluded women misinterpret a man’s kindness to mean that they are in a relationship that is deeper than friendship.
The notion that men and women cannot be just friends further cements a woman’s misinterpretation of events.

A good man will treat a woman well just because he can. However, the problem arises when the woman decides to read more into his actions.
No man would want to be tied down to a specific relationship before his time. The trouble emerges when a woman assumes that just because you are being good to her, then she must be your girlfriend,”

A man would rather lose an arm than tell a woman she is not ‘the one’. In such a situation, the woman will continue believing in a non-existent relationship, while the man uses it to his advantage.

The only way a woman can avoid phantom relationships is by prodding a man during initial meetings.
Ask him all manner of direct questions to gauge what he wants from you. It could be that he just enjoys your company and nothing more. That way you can proceed with your interactions without the frustrating assumption that he is your boyfriend,

Cheers.

op,it flings both ways.a lot of men also take a girls kindness and niceness most times to mean she's interested and they in turn try acting smart and playing along only to be dissapointed in the end.
At other times,some are aware but prefer to glory in self-denial and pray and hope which never really works.
Bottom line-make sure all elements of your brain are involved in relationships whether platonic or otherwise,

^ yeah you are correct.It works both ways and yes you must engage all elements of the brain.

It takes maturity to do that really.Some people are just too scared.