(bright music)
- What makes a great friendship?
Well, some would say it's having shared interest
or a similar sense of humor,
while others would argue it's loyalty and dependability.
- Some people want a friend
who's fun, adventurous, and exciting,
while others would rather someone who's supportive,
empathetic, and good at listening.
- Either way, like with any other kind of relationships,
friendships need honesty, trust, care, and mutual respect
to thrive and survive.
But when it comes to fake friendships,
you'll notice that all of these things are sorely missing.
- So do you wanna know if you have a fake friend
and how you can spot them?
Do you wanna make sure that the people closest to you
are with you for the right reasons?
Here are seven things only a fake friend would do.
- [Narrator 1] First and foremost,
a true friend would never gossip about you behind your back
and spread all your secrets to everyone
no matter how juicy the rumor would be
or how popular it would make them.
They would never jeopardize your friendship
or humiliate you like that.
A true friend would never stoop so low
as to betray your trust like that.
Have you ever spent weeks planning a trip
only for your friend to cancel on you at the last minute?
No matter how many times you keep reminding them about it
or making them promise you they'll come,
your so-called friends never keep their word.
Flaky and indecisive, you've had to learn the hard way
time and time again that you can't ever count on them
to come through for you.
- [Narrator 2] Another way you can tell
when someone doesn't care about you
as much as you do about them
is if they're always excluding you from things.
Fake friends will conveniently forget to invite you
and leave you out of everything they do.
Even if you go out of your way to invite them
or tell them about your plans,
they just don't do the same for you
because the harsh truth is they don't really consider you
a friend.
- [Narrator 1] Do you have a friend in your life
who only ever calls you to ask for your help?
Then they're probably a fake friend.
Fake friends thinks it's okay to ghost you for weeks
only to come back and ask you for a favor.
And the moment you give them what they want,
poof.
They're out of your life once more.
- [Narrator 2] While it's certainly true
that most of us do love to talk about ourselves,
once we come to care for someone,
it's only natural that we'd want to know how they're doing
as well.
In a fake friendship, communication is largely one-sided,
self-absorbed and inconsiderate.
Fake friends will go on and on about themselves
without ever once letting you know you get in a word
of your own.
- [Narrator 1] A back-handed compliment
is something fake friends do to subtly put you down
by making it sound like praise.
They might say things like you look so much better
than you usually do as a way of criticizing you
without being too obvious about it.
This kind of thinly veiled hostility
shows that they are jealous of you
and that they judge you more harshly
than they want to let on.
- So did anyone in particular come to mind
while you were reading this list?
Have you ever been in a fake friendship
or fallen prey to fake friends before?
- While it may be a painful truth to swallow
that someone we considered a close friend
would try and take advantage of us,
it hurts even more to keep denying ourselves the truth
and to stay with someone that is no good for us.
- For the sake of you and your mental health,
watch out for fake friends and cut them off of your life
before it's too late.
- So be mindful of these seven things
that only fake friends do
and you'll have more room in your life for healthy, happy,
and loving relationships with people
that truly care about you.
(gentle bright music)