A close friend is honest and speaks from the heart with good intentions. They tell you what you need to hear in a way that you can hear rather than gossip behind your back. A quality friend is trustworthy, not only are your secrets safe with them, but so are your vulnerability, fear, and weirdness.
If you check some definitions, the term “close friend” can be understood as somebody who you can talk to about everything, who makes you feel comfortable without fear of judgement. A “close friend” can also be someone who is always there for you, who cares about your well-being.
When we speak of friends, close friends and best friends are two categories between which a key difference can be identified. A close friend is someone you rely on and can trust, but a best friend is a person with whom you share everything.
“A best friend should be somebody who makes you want to be a better person,” Bonior said. “They make you feel inspired and you inspire each other to do better. Maybe they're living their life in such a way that you get motivation. So that means that you genuinely admire this person and they admire you.
Someone you can trust with your life who has seen the best and worst of you and will be there whenever you need someone to talk to. There is a balance in the relationship between give and take. You feel so in sync with them that you can comfortably share your innermost feelings and thoughts.
True friendships are admittedly rare, but they are possible if you know how to be one yourself and what to expect from others you want to call friends.
Some people have higher social needs than others, which means they may want to have a greater number of friends. Those who value their alone time may need fewer friends, and that's OK too. In general, based on 2021 survey data, the average person in America has between 3 and 5 close friends.
Friends do not view you as a real soul mate, but best friends do. Friends are great for company, fun and being supportive. But best friends are like getting an upgrade. The idea of being a soul mate is completely natural for them because you will always be there for each other and understand each other perfectly.
Intimate friendships involve a deep familiarity between the two sides, including an awareness of the friend's feelings, preferences, and beliefs, as well as knowledge of details about their personal life.
Hall's research suggests that on average, very close friendships tend to take around 200 hours to develop. Quantity and quality go hand-in-hand.
In 2018, a study by Professor Jeffrey Hall suggested that it takes the average adult roughly 50 hours of time together to move from mere acquaintance to casual friend. For more advanced levels of friendship, it can take more than 200 hours before you can consider someone “close”.
A good friend can have many different qualities, and you may consider what qualities are most important to you. Examples of such qualities may be loyalty, honesty, and respect. With a good friend, you may feel that you can count on them, that you can trust them, and that you like who they are as a person.
Some "seasonal" friends make a lasting impact, some teach us a lesson, and some help us grow, evolve, and become better versions of ourselves. Motivational speaker Jim Rohn says that we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with.
What he discovered was that only about 30 percent of our closest friends remain tried and true after seven years, and 48 percent remain in our immediate social network (meaning we actually talk to or hang out with them on occasion).
Friendship is essential for our general well-being and emotional health. Strong social ties, including partnerships, have been shown to help decrease stress, boost feelings of contentment and life satisfaction, and even better bodily health results.
Crucially, the study discovered that the maximum number of 'connections' for men and women peaked around the age of 25 years old. In other words: the number of friends (or 'connections') you had at 25 is the most you will ever have and they all then steadily decrease for men and women.
It's an unfortunate part of life that not all relationships last a lifetime. Marriages break down, relationships fall apart, and great dates turn into nightmares without so much as a warning. However, one of the hardest relationship break downs can often be the ones you have with your best friend.
If this experience has taught me anything, it's that friends come and go — even if you think they won't. Yes, you might well have the same best friend for the rest of your life. But people change, circumstances change, life gets in the way. And sometimes people just grow apart — and it's okay.
Signs that a friendship should end include no longer having much in common or feeling drained by seeing them. Other signs may include competitiveness, harsh judgment, and a lack of respect for boundaries.
True friends are usually those who offer you support, improve your quality of life, promote self-confidence, provide honesty and unconditional love, and help you progress mentally. It often takes time and effort to foster deep, healthy friendships.