Friendship is important – what with the number of cliched sayings on platonic relationship (i.e. No man is an island,etc.) as proof of it. Okay, whoever says he’s fine without friends is basically, saying a load of er, whatever. Humans need social interaction. It is part of our survival instinct. If you want to have a highly developed emotional well-being, make friends and be a good one. The former is easy to do. But the latter, which is needed to maintain that particular type of relationship, is a little more difficult to work on. Here are some traits that a good friend should have:

Empathy. A good friend must have the ability to emphatize, or to relate emotionally, with another person’s view-point, feelings, and situation. This ability to understand particular situations will foster attachment and warmth with your friends. Otherwise, you will only be seen as detached and cold. But do keep in mind that you don’t have to try too hard to be emphatic. It is understandable if your friends’ feelings are beyond your realm of experience. The key here is that you try to put yourselves in their shoes. This will enable you to listen well when friends need somebody to talk with. This will also give you the ability to dispense good advice, or if not, at least say the right words to comfort a friend.

Loyalty. Being faithful to friends is another good trait to have. This entails being faithful to other people. Back-stabbing, sharing of secrets to other people, and playing sides when the friendship starts to crack are not examples of being loyal. A friend who is loyal will stick by a person, of course, to a reasonable degree.

Trust and Honesty. Friends who lie are not friends. Good friends are honest enough to answer questions truthfully. Sometimes, even if it hurts.

Tact. Yes, we pointed out honesty and truth above, but good friends also employ tact so as not to discourage the other person. For example, instead of saying, “You look fat in that,” a good friend woul rephrase the statement into something more constructive, “Let’s try something that would complement your curves more.”

Humor. This trait too, is essential for friendships. Laughing together and having the ability the upside of life will keep the friendship light and fresh. Would you stick with a friends who is always gloomy and negative? I don’t think so.