Which Friend Am I?

No matter what kind of friend you are, you’re invaluable to the friend group! Check out these tips on being a good friend, regardless of your special niche among your pals.

Good friends support one another. Friendship is all about lending a helping hand when necessary, right? When you’re in a bind and need a favor, a good friend will be there! They won’t be able to fix all your problems, but they’ll try to offer you help and support as much as they can. Whether you need an encouraging word before a big presentation or a ride to your doctor’s appointment, a good friend will deliver.

They make each other feel good. After all, it’s only natural to feel good when you’re around a friend, right? True friends say and do things to make one another happy, whether that means giving one another compliments, congratulating each other on their accomplishments, or simply showing gratitude for each other and the friendship. For example, a good friend would quickly say, “Wow, I love your outfit today!” or “Woah, you’re so talented! I love that drawing,” and offer you praise. Friends usually aren’t shy about letting one another know how great they are!

Friends accept each other for who they are. In friend groups, there are a lot of different personalities! Everybody has their own likes, dislikes, and interests—and they’re not always into the same things. Sure, you and your friends likely have at least a few things in common, but there are probably also a few things that are solely your interest and not theirs.

Still, true friends accept those differences. They don’t ignore, tease, or judge you for liking different things. Rather, they’ll encourage you to tell them about the things you like because they know it’s important to you—and, when you need to go off and do your own thing for a bit, they’ll be understanding and supportive. Good friends enjoy their similarities and celebrate their differences!

They listen to one another. Had a bad day and need to vent? A good friend will actively listen and offer you a shoulder to cry on if you need it. Regardless, they don’t shrug you off or zone out when you talk; they’re genuinely interested in hearing whatever it is you have to say and are usually happy to be a sounding board when you want to talk something out.

They’re trustworthy. When you tell a good friend something privately and ask them not to share it, they won’t! True friends are reliable, loyal, and nonjudgmental—they’ll hear you out when you have something to say and know how to keep your secrets rather than gossiping about them to others. In other words, they won’t betray your trust.

They respect boundaries. Disagreements can happen in friendships; it’s only natural. You might say or do something to upset your friend, or vice versa. However, a good friend will tell you if you do something to hurt their feelings rather than keep it bottled up—and if they’ve hurt you, they’ll apologize and make sure to maintain that boundary moving forward. For example, if you tell a good friend, “I really don’t want to talk about my last relationship, it’s upsetting for me,” they’ll respect that and avoid bringing up the subject in the future.

It’s also important to remember that every aspect of friendship here goes both ways! It shouldn’t be one of you always being respectful, trustworthy, supportive, and so on—it’s up to both of you to be the best friends you can be.