Our friends have a huge impact on our lives and they make us who we are as individuals. They hold the closest spot in our hearts and their importance in our lives is indescribable. Good friends can make the good times even better, and the bad times more tolerable. Studies have shown that people who have strong friendships are less likely to die prematurely and have better physical health than those who are isolated.
However, you have to keep in mind that you need to choose your friends carefully and allow only good people into your inner cycle. Take a look at the most important traits you should look for in a true friend!
Honesty
Honesty is an essential trait and the foundation of any good friendship. A good friend should always tell you the truth and should always keep their word. A good friend should be honest with you and give you their real opinion about your situation. Friends need to trust each other if they want their relationship to last, and trust is built only through open and honest communication.
Trustworthiness
This is another essential trait that every good friend should have. Your best friend is the person with whom you share your deepest fears, thoughts, and secrets, so you need to be sure that they will never use your private information against you and they will never hurt your feelings. A good friend has to be trustworthy, honest and reliable.
Loyalty
A loyal friend will stand by you through your ups and downs. A loyal friend won’t talk about you behind your back and will always be there for you, no matter what. Loyalty is a beautiful quality you should look for in a friend. Loyalty between friends will hold the friendship together, but when loyalty is missing, other values will suffer in any friendship.
Empathy
When things in life aren’t going how you’d hoped, it’s good to have a friend who can feel what you are going through and see things from your perspective. An empathetic and compassionate friend will help you out when everything seems to go wrong. They will let you know that they care about you and want to offer a helping hand.
Acceptance
It’s very important to respect and value the differences that exist in friendships. A true friend should be accepting and like you for who you are. They may not always understand you, but they will always support you and will never judge or criticize you. A good friend looks for the best in you and will never encourage you to be anything other than yourself.
A good listener
Being a good listener is key to being a true friend. Your friend should listen to you with interest, focus, and purpose, and they should ask you questions after you’re finished speaking, not before. Listening is much more than hearing - in order to be good listeners we need to open our ears, but also open our minds and our heart to another person.
