A recent study on Social Relationships and Mortality Risk has concluded that people without friends are more likely to die an early death. So to improve your chances of living a long and happy life, you need a diverse, well-rounded group of friends that will stick with you through thick and thin.
True friends
The mother of all friendships, these are essential people who make the daily grind called life easier to survive. They just get you and always know exactly what to say or do to make you crack up, break down in tears, and even question your most well-analyzed life choices. Your brother-from-another-mother, your soulmate, your best friend. The ones you’re sure will laugh when you trip, but who will also treat your wounds after they help you up.
Feeling close
Hey, they just met you and this is crazy, but now they have your number, so they’ll call you…ceaselessly. These people make you realize that you do in fact have a sense of personal space and some boundaries. When they walk into the room, you can feel their eyes zone in on you and – as they make a bee-line straight to where you’re standing – you wonder why this person you’ve only known for an hour is acting like they know all your deepest secrets.
User-friendly
We all tease our friends about treating us to a free meal and we’ve all been teased the same way. But there are a few people who would actually hand over their bill at the end of the meal. User-friendly relationships come in many shapes and packages: please-help-me-with-my-homework, can-I-borrow-your-favorite-skirt-again, thanks-for-the-invite-what-time-are-you-picking-me-up, and all the old favorite lines that make you feel more like a mother-butler than a friend.
Virtual friends
These are the people who you met online because they stumbled upon your pathetic excuse for a blog and decided you were cool enough to talk to. They usually share your sentiments about your favorite show, celebrity, or issue and have their own blog filled with like-minded gems that you both could talk about for hours and hours and hours.
Frenemies
If you’ve got a frenemy, you know that all those teen-angst dramas filled with backstabbing and plastic smiles are based on true stories. These are the people you pretend to like for one reason or another but deep down you’re just waiting for them to cross a line so you can unleash the Kraken upon them and finally have the revenge you’ve been secretly plotting.
Friends with benefits
A seemingly innocent 3 am text appears, telling you to come over so you can hang out. But you know nothing innocent will be happening once you get there. These are people with whom you have a special relationship. No, not in the way where you love them so much you want to shout it out from the rooftops. We’re talking the kind where you lust after them so much you’ll be screaming at the start of your climax. For all sorts of reasons, despite your obvious sexual chemistry, both of you agree that you can’t head into a real relationship. You’re just not each other’s priority. You have your fun but there are no strings attached…after all, you are just friends.
Friendzone
Ah, the friendzone. Home to a significant amount of the world’s bitter and forever alone population. You finally muster up the guts to tell THE ONE how much you’ve always loved them and want to take your relationship to the next level but their reply ranges from a “k” to a “I’m so so sorry. I truly do love you but not in the same way. You’ve always been like a friend to me. I hope this doesn’t ruin anything. I’d hate to lose a friend like you.” Nobody is quite sure which of their flirtations got them booted into the friendzone to begin with but – once you’re there – you may as well build a house with your unrequited feelings because you’ll be living there alone forever.
