A lot of research has been done looking into the benefits of friendship, and the research has found exactly what you might expect. It turns out that the better quality relationships you have; the more likely you are to be happy. Therefore it’s good for your happiness to be a great friend to someone and to have a group of good friends supporting you. But it can be hard to pinpoint exactly what makes a good friend.
Signs of a good friend
Friends will come and go in your life, but more important than how long a friendship lasts, is that a good friend will love you for who you are. The way you can tell the sign of a good friend is by looking at the actions they take –big and small – that show they care.
Some common signs of a good friend include
someone who will support you no matter what someone you can trust and who won’t judge you someone who won’t put you down or deliberately hurt your feelings someone who is kind and has respect for you someone who will love you because they choose to, not because they feel like they should someone whose company you enjoy showing loyalty being trustworthy and willing to tell you the truth, even when it’s hard someone who can laugh when you do someone who is willing to stick around when things get tough someone who makes you smile someone who is there to listen someone who will cry when you cry.
How to be a good friend
If you want to do all or many of the things listed above for someone you care about, you’re already a good friend. It’s also common though, to not know exactly what to do or say to be there for someone. Some practical things you can do to be there for a friend include:
Listen. Listening is so important not to underestimate, but it can be hard to do. The best way to listen is to try and understand the situation from your friends’ point of view. If you aim to do this, you’ll naturally find yourself beginning to ask the right sort of questions and they will