Some friends are for life and others only serve a small purpose. These types of friendships we’ve all had will bring back those eye rolling memories.
Not all friendships are meant to last. We meet someone we really like and two weeks later find a reason to hate them. It’s not uncommon. You can’t be friends with everyone. That being said, there are very specific types of friendships we’ve all experienced before.
Some are so ridiculous they warrant an eye roll. Other types of friendships were instrumental in shaping who you are today. The point is, we’ve all had many friendships throughout our lifetimes.
The company you keep is very important
If you’re always surrounded by fake, judgmental people, you’ll end up that way. Their negative ways will seep into your life and you’ll be stuck as one of them. And if you don’t turn into one of them, you’ll be an eternally unhappy person because of how toxic they are.
The people you’re around all the time play a huge part in shaping who you are. If they’re ambitious, you’ll be ambitious. If they’re rude, you’ll be rude. So choose your friends wisely and make sure you’re spending time with people who are genuinely good. [Read: How to be funny and make people love your company]
The main types of friendships we’ve all had before
And if you haven’t had these friendships before, you might have them down the line. Although they may not have all ended pleasantly, you can’t deny that each of them played a role in your life.
#1 Using each other for something. This is the type of friendship where you’re both obviously only friends with each other for very specific reasons. Maybe you really like their brother or sister and are trying to get on their good side.
Maybe you just want them to get you into the nice clubs their other friend bounces at. The bottom line is that you both are using one another for reasons other than friendship. [Read: 11 obvious ways to tell if he’s using you]
#2 Them only using you for something. On the flip side, you may end up in “friendships” where the other person is only hanging out with you for a reason. You have something they want and so they befriend you, thinking they’d get it.
This is a crap friendship. If you know someone is doing this and they don’t actually care about you, get out of there. You don’t deserve that. Just make sure you’re not wrong first because some people get really insulted when you think this.
#3 The bandwagon friendship. All of your friends are friends with someone, so then you befriend them, too. But you might not even like them that much. This type of friendship is odd because it’s all because of mutual friends.
You end up around someone so many times that you both just kind of shrug and go with it. However, you’re not really friends. You may say hello to each other if you see one another out, but you wouldn’t hang out by yourselves. [Read: 15 clear signs it’s time to cut a one-sided friendship loose]
#4 The “bitch and moan” friendship. We’ve all got that one friend who serves as our vent only. We basically only go to them to bitch about the things in our lives and they complain back. It’s kind of like a mutual understanding of being each other’s stress relief.
However, you don’t really go out and have fun together like you would other friendships. These friendships are also usually found in the workplace. You both have common ground there.
#5 The kind of friendship where you walk into their home like it’s yours. This is the really good friends for a very, very long time type of friendship. Your homes are basically each other’s homes.
You can walk in, open the fridge, and start chowing down on their food as if it was your own. We all have one of these friends growing up and honestly, they’re the best.
#6 The rich friend, friendship. I think we all end up befriending a rich person at some point in our lives. Maybe it was by accident but nevertheless, they’ve got money. And you usually end up doing a bunch of fun things with them because they have so much money.
This type of friendship can be difficult because you don’t always relate. If you’re not wealthy and they have all this money to throw around, it can cause resentment. This is usually why wealthier people tend to stick with other rich folks. [Read: 10 sneaky signs someone is a definite gold digger]
#7 The “nothing’s changed” friendship. You may even still have this friendship. These are the types of people you can go months and even years without seeing but whenever you get together, it’s as if nothing has changed.
You’re able to pick your friendship up right where it left off. It’s easy, comfortable, and there’s no ill will between either of you. You just get each other.
#8 They only hit you up if they need something friendship. This is different than having friends who use you for something because they don’t just want one specific thing. It’s like this type of friendship is you providing them with multiple services.
Perhaps they need a job and they ask if your workplace is hiring. Or maybe they see you have a great tenting setup and want to borrow it. Their reasons for reaching out are always tied to them wanting something from you. It’s annoying, but we’ve all been there. [Read: 10 types of toxic friends you need to avoid]
#9 The family-friends friendship. This is the type of friendship where you don’t really like each other, but your families have been friends so that’s why you’re friends with them. It’s not that you dislike them but rather, you don’t have much in common anymore, even if you were great friends as kids.
Your families are still really close, though. And that means you treat them like a distant cousin instead of like a friend. You don’t care if they’re around but you wouldn’t mind if they weren’t there, either.
#10 Work friendships. We all have those few friends who we’re only friends with in the workplace. You don’t talk to them outside of work or go hang out but the second you see you’re working together, your day is better.
This is really common because you have something very specific to bond over at work. However, outside of the workplace, you might not have much in common with them at all. [Read: 8 tips to be good friends with your coworkers]
#11 The real friendship. You know if you’ve had this friendship when you consider someone more like family than a friend. They’ve been with you since day one and they’ve always had your back.
Regardless of what’s happened, you both remain loyal and loving toward one another. You put in equal amounts of effort and feel like you have someone in your corner, always.
[Read: How to know when to end a friendship]
We all have different standards when it comes to friends but you’ll probably have most of these types of friendships at least once in your life. Some should go but there are a few you’ll definitely want to stay.