Are you concerned about a person’s genuine intentions toward you? Don’t worry. We will help you figure out the difference between fake friends and real friends. Keep reading.
2. You Feel It In Your Gut
Your intuition will tell you that a particular person is not to be trusted blindly. If you have a weird feeling when you are talking to a person claiming to be your “best” friend, there is a good reason your guard is up. Don’t dare ignore it, because it will be right 99% of the time. If you have a feeling someone is not genuine, there is a high chance your instincts may be right.
3. Real Friends Will Support Your Ideas; Fake Friends Will Mock Them
Sometimes, we have unconventional ideas that may get us into trouble or help us discover ourselves – and most often, it takes one real friend to help you sort things out. They will not only help you get to know yourself better but also bring out the best in you – the parts you may not have known existed – whereas fake friends won’t even care to take the challenge. They will immediately dismiss your idea as crazy and not “worth the effort.”
4. Fake Friends Will Treat You Differently Around Different People
They may be super sweet to you when you are alone together, but the moment someone else joins in, they will act completely different. That is a major red flag. Fake friends will only be nice to you when they need something.
5. Real Friends Will Accept Your Faults; Fake Friends Will Leave Because Of Them
People are not perfect – but our imperfections are what make us unique. Real friends acknowledge that fact, and they effortlessly accept you for who you are. You may disagree on things, but they are there for you, no matter what. On the other hand, fake friends won’t be patient enough to deal with your faults and will try to leave as soon as they find themselves in unfavorable situations.
6. Fake Friends Will Talk Trash Behind Your Back
Okay, a lot of people may tend to do this. If we are angry at our friend, we may badmouth them to another friend. That’s understandable. But if a “friend” is talking trash about you with the intention of spreading rumors or trying to change people’s perception about you, buddy, that’s not your friend. If you care about a person, you will never try to hurt their reputation.
7. Real Friends Will Accept You As You Are; Fake Friends Will Want You To Be Like Them
Real friends won’t ask you to ditch your wardrobe or change your hairdo just because they consider it unfashionable. Real friends will instead help you be your best self and appreciate your choices. On the other hand, fake friends will make sure you always fit into their definition of stylish and trendy, or within their idea of the perfect member of their social group, or they bid you farewell.
8. Fake Friends Will Be Intensely Jealous Of Your Accomplishments
Unless it benefits them, of course. But if you get a new job with more pay than them, they are going to be snarky about it. Sure, they will celebrate with you, only if you are paying. However, they are not really happy for your accomplishments. If you are struggling to figure out the difference between true friends and fake friends, remember that a true friend will be genuinely happy to see you succeed and flourish at all times.
9. Real Friends Will Believe In You; Fake Friends Will Think You Are Too Ambitious
Remember that time you applied for that dream job? Who were the ones who were encouraging you to aim higher? And who were the ones who stated that it was impossible, that you were wasting your time and were only going to disappoint yourself when you fail? There, you have your answer! Real friends always believe in you and help you believe in yourself. Fake friends, on the other hand, will give you every reason to doubt yourself.
10. Real Friends Will Keep Your Secrets
If you tell your friend a secret, the point is that they don’t share it with other people behind your back. A fake friend will use that secret for their gain. A real friend would respect that you shared something so personal with them and keep their mouth shut.
11. Real Friends Will Be There During Bad Times; Fake Friends Will Wait For The Good Times To Come
There are so-called “friends” who would ditch you in a heartbeat for months during the most challenging times in your life. When all of the issues are finally over, they would reappear magically and try to be back in your life – just like that! But here’s the thing – If they can’t be there for you at your worst, they don’t deserve you at your best.
12. Fake Friends Will Only Contact You When They Need You
Contacting someone just to check on them and calling someone when you need something from them are two different things. Fake friends may be super social with you on Instagram or Facebook, but only be physically present when they need something from you.
13. Real Friends Will Face Life With You; Fake Friends Will Make You Feel Lonely
Real friends are there for you, no matter how much life sucks. Fake friends, not so much.
14. Real Friends Forgive And Apologize; Fake Friends Forget And Ignore
It is not unusual for friends to disagree or even fight over something. However, the friendship is bogus if a single argument can break your relationship or affect it. Real friends always find a way to fix things, and not through shortcuts. It is important to apologize if you made mistakes, and of course, to truly forgive and let go. Everyone makes mistakes. Maybe you have made a big one, but real friends will forgive you and move on. They don’t want to torture you by using your faults against you. They will accept your apology and will continue to be by your side.
15. Fake Friends Can’t Take A “No”
Okay, who really likes being told ‘no’? But that’s not the point at all. A fake friend will make sure they stop hanging out with you if you do not give them what they want from you. A real friend will not like to hear ‘no’ either, but they won’t sacrifice your friendship over it and continue to hang out with you.
16. Real Friends Make You Feel Good From Within; Fake Friendship Feels Burdensome
Real friendship does not require tremendous effort just to last. It can make it through the test of time easily. In fact, when you are with true friends, you will feel light. Making the friendship work will be as easy as breathing. Whereas, fake friendship will feel heavy on your soul and, at some point, extremely toxic. Even being around such friends can drain your energy, not just physically but also emotionally.
17. Real Friends Take Out Time For You
You may have 3,254 friends on Facebook, but how many can you actually call when you want to hang out or grab a coffee? Maybe a couple of them. Real friends make sure to take time out for each other. Yup, we have super busy lives, but you can always make time for the things that truly matter to you.
18. Real Friends Adore Your Imperfections; Fake Friends Judge Them
How many times has your friend told you that there is something seriously wrong with you? That you need to “change” so that people like you? Real friends would never do that!
19. Real Friends Will Respect Your Opinion; Fake Friends Will Detest You For Them
He or she may not agree, but they will respect it anyway. All of us have our personal opinions, whether they are political or religious. But that doesn’t have to mean you can’t be friends with someone who may think differently than you. If anything, it will add more excitement to your friendship. A real friend will respect your opinion even if they disagree.
20. Fake Friends Don’t Care About What You Have To Say
They don’t respect your opinion. If they are always hanging out with you but don’t listen to what you have to say, it is perhaps because they don’t value you enough as a person. We all have one of those friends who can never seem to listen. They either are talking about themselves, zoning out, or glued to their phones.
21. Real Friends Open Up To You; Fake Friends Do Not
One critical trait that fake friends have is that they keep secrets about their life from you but want you to tell them everything about yours. It is normal for a fake friend to know everything about you, your plans, and life goals, but you would hardly know anything about them. They keep everything about themselves secret even when they claim to be your friend. They could apply for college without telling you but they want to know every step you take. How do you avoid fake friends? Set your limits and avoid sharing secrets with them. Limit the duration of interaction and try to avoid them in most situations. Why can’t I make real friends? Anxiety is a major problem many people experience in making real friends. Hence, try methods to reduce anxiety and accept the situations that come along with friendship.
