Friends who display these behaviours can be harmful

Friends help make life more meaningful. They provide social and emotional support, reduce feelings of loneliness and increase enthusiasm for life.

Maintaining social connections can lead to longer life and reduce the risk of mental and physical health problems, such as depression and high blood pressure. However, some friends may not be so positive. Some friends can be harmful.

Harmful friends come in many forms, but they generally cause mental stress and pull you down rather than encourage you to rise up. In such cases, it can be difficult to identify a harmful friend.

What do harmful friends do?

Good friends may sometimes be rude or distant on bad days, but they apologize when things get better. Harmful friends, on the other hand, always behave in the same way. They show little remorse for their mistakes or are unwilling to apologize or change even when they know their friend is wrong.

1. They talk in jest

Friends enjoy lighthearted banter with each other, sometimes teasing and demeaning each other. A little bit of fun doesn't necessarily mean the friendship is toxic. However, when a friend regularly insults and hurts you, that friendship may be harmful. Whether they use subtle insulting tactics or outright insults, it's likely that the friendship isn't healthy.

2. They reveal secrets

If you tell your friend something in secret and they tell others and many people find out, they may not be a good friend.

A harmful friend enjoys revealing secrets. Even when they are asked to keep personal information private, they repeatedly break trust and don't care about their friend's feelings.

3. They apologize insincerely

When their behavior is criticized, they ignore their friend's pain or offer a lame excuse. Instead of taking the time to consider your friend's perspective, they say, "I'm sorry you feel that way," or add a defensive "but" after the apology. For example, "I'm sorry I hurt your feelings, but it was just a joke."

4. Makes you feel uncomfortable

An unexpected reaction from a friend can be uncomfortable and hurtful. It's hard to build a trusting and secure relationship with someone who gets angry over small things and then immediately goes back to acting normal. In such cases, it's wise to proceed with caution.

Harmful friends get angry and yell at you over small things, like not listening to you or forgetting to bring something they asked for. Then, the next minute, they act as if nothing happened.

5. Makes you unstable

Spending time with a close friend usually feels good. But spending time with a particular friend may make you uncomfortable or unhappy. There may be no good explanation as to why this happened. But when you are away from them, you feel relief rather than frustration and you do not look forward to spending time with such a friend. If you feel this unstable feeling, you should consider other signs in the friendship.

A harmful friend will give you signals that you are weaker than your other friends. For example, they may say that your financial situation is not good or your dress is not good. People have their own individual characteristics and differences, and a good friend understands this. They do not compare one friend to another.

6. Always puts themselves at the center 

A friend only comes along when everything is going well or when they need something. They cannot be approached when they are in trouble. Such a friend may constantly talk about their current problems. When they express their feelings, they may formally say "How are you?" but quickly turn the conversation back to themselves.

A positive friend also shows empathy for a friend's concerns, whether the situation is good or bad. These friends accept you as you are and support you when you seek guidance for change, even waiting until you ask for advice.