Real friends are hard to come by and even harder to keep, but fake friends and fake people seem to be around every corner, ready to take advantage of you in your tough times.
If you’ve ever had a fake friendship in your life, you know what we’re talking about here.
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True friends, on the other hand, make life’s journey more bearable.
True friends show their loyalty and false friends drain your energy, no matter how long they’ve been in your social circle.
It’s important to be able to tell the difference between toxic friendships (the same goes for toxic relationships) and bad friends.
You owe it to yourself to draw a line of acceptable behavior, and once you see a good friend cross that line, most of the time, call it and remove it (if necessary).
How to spot fake friends?
Fake friends are hard to spot if they’ve been around you for a long time, and that’s only because you keep telling yourself that’s not the case. So you ignore it and keep feeding yourself lies.
Unfortunately, toxic people will never show you their true colors until they can no longer use you, but as soon as you stop serving them, then you will see the worst side. And although it is difficult to cut ties with the people you love as a family, it is necessary for your own happiness.
Take a look at these 12 clear signs of a false friendship and weigh those around you.
1. Fake friends never ask how you are.
Think of how many times a person you considered a true friend asked you that simple question: «How are you?» and she really meant it. How many times has that person purposefully talked about you and your problems and not them and their own problems?
Fake friends are her favorite topic of conversation. They will find any possible way to make all the conversations about them. They will pretend to care what you have to say, only to find an opportunity to interrupt you and start talking about their own stuff again.
A good friend listens and offers support, while fake people only listen so they can move on.
2. Fake friends never admit their mistakes.
One thing a faker will never do is apologize when necessary. A true friend will apologize when they make you feel like crap and will be careful not to repeat it. But a fake friend will keep making you feel as bad as he can and when you try to confront him about it, he will make you look insane.
You will always be the one who exaggerates, plays the victim or is unreasonable, while they will (discursively) always be the best friend. This should be a red flag. A true friend makes you feel loved, listened to, supported and included. If you don’t feel any of those things, you know you’re close to a person who takes you for granted. The icing on the cake is his ability to always turn everything against you.
3. Fake friends judge you and your life decisions.
A friend is someone who supports you in all your endeavors and never dares to judge you for making your own decisions.
They offer their opinion when asked, but if not, they encourage it, respect it, and never judge it because they know they have no right to do so.
Fake friends secretly judge you and everything you do. They have opinions about you, your life, and your choices, and they constantly offer unwarranted opinions.
They mask their true intentions as «loving», but in reality, they live through you giving themselves the right to act as guardians of your life.
With fakers, you never feel like you can say something without feeling judged. No matter how much you’ve thought about something, they will always taste better and rub it in your face.
Fake people will never support you, but they will always know what is best for you.
4. Fake friends make you feel useless.
Listen. A friend is someone you willingly let into your life and choose to spend time with. So why would you choose to enter any kind of relationship with someone who constantly puts you down?
Why would you let a person who doesn’t need to be in your life trash you so much?
A fake friend makes you think that you are not good enough. They put you down when he feels like it and make you think you need to change.
5. Fake friends don’t respect your limitations.
Simply put, fake friends ask for a lot and give almost nothing in return. They have no problem overstepping your boundaries and asking you to do things that are beyond your means.
True friends know what your limits are (physical, time, financial, even moral). They know when they are simply asking for too much and would never put you on the spot knowing how unfair it would be.
But fraudsters will not consider your limitations and will expect you to do as they please, without even considering what they are asking of you.
You have to recognize when they ask too much of you and you must demand respect.
6. Fake friends can’t take «no» for an answer.
Sometimes you just need to put your foot down and say «no.» Without explanations and without justifying you.
You have every right to refuse to do something and if someone has a problem with it, it’s not good for you in the first place.
Fake friends have a problem with feeling rejected in any way. They seem to think they’re entitled to everything, so when their bubble bursts, they go on a rampage.
If you don’t live up to their ideas of having a good time, they accuse you of being a bad friend. Fake friends can turn the simplest conversation into a battlefield if they don’t get their way.
7. Fake friends are never really happy about your success.
Have you noticed how some people get really happy when you share your good news, almost like it’s happening to them? Those are true friends in life. People who are happy and excited when good things happen to you.
But with fakers, it’s a whole different game. Fake friends will go to great lengths to pretend to be happy for you, while dying of jealousy and resentment inside.
It’s so simple. Good friends love you and therefore they are happy when you are successful in any area of life. Your happiness means that they are happy too because they really want the best for you.
Watch people’s reactions to your good news and trust what you see. Your gut always knows what’s up.
8. Fake friends never stand up for you.
A false friendship is one in which you know that they will never defend you in your absence.
A false friend will never defend you when they drag you through the mud. True friendship means having your friend’s back through thick and thin. How many friends in your social circle can you really say will stand up for you and fight for your honor? Really think about this and then you will know who your real friends are.
Friendship is about loyalty and respect. Only a bad person will join the crowd and tarnish your name when you’re not around.
But it takes courage to be the one to speak up when it’s not easy and when it means going against everyone else in the room. That is the truest friend you will ever have in life.
9. Fake friends are never there during hard times.
the fakers they always have a place to be and something important to do when you need their help.
When it’s not about them and when they have nothing to gain, They will disappear faster than you can say false friend.
Consider the people who offer you a hand when you are going through difficult things.
Appreciate those who take the time to be there, no matter how inconvenient it may be for them.
The willingness to offer selfless help during difficult times is one of the noblest acts a person can offer.
Notice the people you have to beg to do something for you and the ones who don’t even need to be asked.
That is the most distinguishable difference between a real friend and a fraud. The real ones are there, no questions asked.
Fakers disappear into the wind without feeling a shred of guilt.
10. Fake friends change their personalities depending on who they are with.
Do you know the easiest way to discover fakers? They have a few different personalities and they all vary depending on the type of person they are with.
And that is due because they need different things from different people, so they need to be perceived in a way that let them get what they need from each friend.
Therefore, you may find different shades of personality from that friend and be taken aback by the false front they put on to get what they want.
11. Fake friends can’t be trusted.
You know those people he can say anything to and he’ll know they’re taking him to their grave?
Fake friends can’t be trusted too much. You just know they’ll spread what you told them like it’s their job. And if they’re not loyal to you, what’s the point of keeping them around?
Think about who you could share disturbing news with right now, knowing you would never share it with anyone (in person or on social media). Who would you trust with your life? At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about.