8 Ways To Tell The Difference Between Real Friends and Toxic Friends

Friends are always there when you need them. They support you, they encourage you, and they only want the best for you in life. But there's another type of friend that isn't actually a friend at all. They aren't always easy to recognize but these handy infographics will show you how to spot them.

They come from a website called Life Hack and they helpfully explain how to differentiate between a real friend and a "toxic" friend. These pseudo-buddies are only pretending to be your friend so they can somehow benefit from the arrangement. They use you when they need you but they're never available when you need them, they get jealous of your achievements, they don't respect your personal space and...well...they're basically just assholes in disguise. Scroll down to see how you can identify these impostors.

More info: Life Hack (h/t: designtaxi)

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Real Friends Vs Toxic Friends

Final score:

72points

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Hans 8 years ago

Real friends bring a six pack of beer upon success...be it theirs, yours, or that of a sports team. In case of failure, they still bring one.

12points

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Real Friends Vs Toxic Friends

Final score:

57points

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Hans 8 years ago

Real friends know the moment where you just want to be on your own, but understand when you need a helping hand despite claiming you are well off alone.

16points

Lorraine 8 years ago

I think real friends will respect alone time, but also sense when you need them and force you to make time for them, even when you push them away.

3points

Andrew Lattimer-Dell 4 years ago

I like the way that you have clearly stated what is the difference between genuine and toxic friends

0points

Ahona Kiele 8 years ago

/ don't understand I need some space

0points

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Real Friends Vs Toxic Friends

Final score:

56points

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Janice Foster 8 years ago

Not always true. Some people have a lot to deal with in life, and may not have the physical or emotional energy for "just thinking of you" calls

40points

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Real Friends Vs Toxic Friends

Final score:

45points

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Daria B 8 years ago

What if my "other friend" is a toxic friend, and my real friend just wants me to be happy?

38points

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Real Friends Vs Toxic Friends

Final score:

38points

POST

Wendy 8 years ago

Just when I thought I had seen every incorrect usage of your/you're, this comes along...

71points

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Real Friends Vs Toxic Friends

Final score:

34points

POST

Hans 8 years ago

This is a nobrainer, isn't it? Coming to a realization where the border between honesty and hurtfulness lies is the hard part.

10points

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Real Friends Vs Toxic Friends

Final score:

33points

POST

Flora Polvado 8 years ago

Well said, Hans. I've always appreciated the friends who care enough to say something I needed but didn't want to hear.

3points

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Real Friends Vs Toxic Friends

Final score:

23points

POST

Tricia Ferrell 8 years ago

What I see is toxic friends want to play horsey. I might be ok with that.

29points

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What do you think ?

So..."pseudo-buddies"? I am sorry, but this series is pseudo-wisdom. All of that is either self-evident or too generic to be helpful. Usually the hard-part is to actually differentiate or learn how someone's real face looks like. Besides, most of these pictures tell you to expect tolerance from your friends. This is a good approach, but tolerance comes with tolerance...and some of these "toxic" friends here might not be so bad after all but simply expose non-standard behaviour that does not mean any bad.