Real Friend or Fake Friend? A Guide to Finding Out Who’s Truly in Your Corner 👯‍♀️

Real Friend or Fake Friend? A Guide to Finding Out Who’s Truly in Your Corner

Friendship is one of life’s greatest joys right up there with good snacks, abandoning your responsibilities to binge a show, and the rare moment your hair does exactly what you want it to.

 

But let’s be honest: not everyone who calls themselves your friend is actually your friend. Some people are… well… “friend-ish.” They hover somewhere between “I like you” and “I will absolutely eat the last slice of pizza and lie about it.”

 

So how do you tell who’s real and who’s basically a human plot twist?

Grab a cup of tea. Let’s break it down.

1. The Energy Test: Do You Feel Drained or Recharged?

A real friend is like a portable charger for your soul you plug in, you laugh, you feel alive again.

A fake friend is like that phone app that drains your battery for no reason. You leave the interaction wondering:

“Why am I tired? Why do I suddenly doubt my entire personality?”

Pro tip: If you’re mentally exhausted after hanging out, that’s your intuition waving a giant neon flag.

 

 

 

2. The ‘I Need Help’ Moment

Ever text someone, “I need to talk… do you have a minute?”

 

A real friend: “Say less. What’s wrong? Do I need snacks? Should I bring emotional support chocolate?”

• A fake friend: “Omg babes I saw your message but I got distracted washing my cat / rearranging my bookshelf / staring at a wall.”

Life gets busy but patterns don’t lie.

 

 

 

3. How They Celebrate You (or… don’t)

 

A real friend cheers when you win. Even if it’s something tiny, like finding jeans that fit on the first try.

A fake friend gets weirdly quiet when you succeed. Their compliments sound like:

“Wow… I wouldn’t have expected that from you.”

or

“Nice! Must be lucky.”

Ah yes, thank you for that supportive skepticism.

 

 

 

4. The Tea Spill Test

Here’s the truth: When something dramatic, hilarious, or disastrous happens, we all have that FIRST person we want to tell. Someone who will gasp appropriately, ask the right questions, and not judge your questionable life decisions.

If they’re your first text when chaos erupts?

Real friend.

If they only want the tea but never want to offer any of their own?

Fake friend with a subscription-only interest.

But, it can also work both ways, when you need to vent and get something off your chest and that person who you was all ears for suddenly has to leave and doesn’t have time to listen to you? Yep that’s a one way street buddy!

 

 

 

5. Do They Show Up When It’s Inconvenient?

Real friends show up when it’s raining, when it’s late, when you’re crying, when they’re tired, or when you need to move a sofa up three flights of stairs (and you still don’t know how they forgave you for that).

Fake friends show up when it’s convenient, photogenic, or involves free food.

Otherwise? They suddenly “didn’t see the message.

 

 

 

6. The Growth Factor: Do They Help You Become Better?

Real friends want you to grow even if they tease you while you do it.

 

They’re the ones saying:

“Babe, you’re better than that. Let’s fix this.”

Fake friends?

They prefer you stagnant, predictable, and never doing better than them.

 

 

 

7. The Ultimate Test: Your Gut Feeling

Let’s be real  you almost always know.

There’s that little whisper inside saying:

• “I don’t feel safe telling them things.”
• “I always feel ‘less’ around them.”
• “They wouldn’t be there for me if things got serious.”

Your intuition is undefeated. Trust it like you trust that one friend who always knows the best gossip.

 

 

 

So… What Now?

If reading this gave you that “Oof, I know exactly who this refers to” feeling — it might be time to create some distance. Not drama. Just… distance.

And celebrate the gems in your life.

The ones who send memes at 2 a.m.

The ones who hype you up in terrible lighting.

The ones who know your coffee order and your trauma.

The ones who feel like home.

Those are your people.

Keep them close.

And if you ever doubt it send them this article and see if they say:

“OMG this is so us.”

A fake friend will say:

“Wow… that’s interesting.”

You know the tone.

Or, you know  maybe keep it to yourself and keep doing you ✨💃🏽