12 Signs You Have A Fantastic Best Friend

It probably won't come as a surprise to hear that good friends are hard to come by, but what may be a shock is how infrequently we recognize when we truly have someone amazing in our lives. In a world that seems to value romantic relationships above all others, it seems we're ever-increasingly out of touch with how important it is to have all different kinds of intimacy in our lives — platonic included.

We've grown to count "friends" by who accepts a request on Facebook, and think that the happiest people are the ones standing in the biggest crowd of pals lined up for yet another pic. It's human nature to think that friendship is a matter of quantity over quality. It's something to do with our survival instincts — the more people we perceive to accept us, the safer and more loved we are — but we're not fighting for our survival. We're looking for companionship.

The bulk of what makes an amazing friendship is not how much you have in common, but how much you love one another for your differences. It's seeing someone for who they are and then learning to love them for it, too. It may sound like a cliché, or the advice you've been hearing since childhood, but there is such profound truth in simplicity, especially when it comes to friendship. So here are a few of the small but really important signs you truly have a fantastic best friend (they're more difficult to come by than you'd think!):

They Tell You Like It Is, And They Don't Mince Words

They are not afraid to temporarily hurt your feelings when something far more important is at stake.

Everyone You Date Is Mildly Intimidated By Them

It's as though everyone you come into contact knows that they are the emotional gatekeeper to your life: get in with them, get in with you.

You Send Them Your Sexy Selfies To Get Feedback

Their opinion > anyone else's.

You're Kind Of Jealous Of Their Significant Other

Not the fact that they have a significant other – but that they inadvertently have less time to spend with you.

When You're Shopping Together, You End Up Picking Out More Stuff For Them Than Yourself

You just know what they would love, and always feel the need to make sure you point it out.

You Can Be Silent Together For Long Periods Of Time

Road trip? You can sit quietly and listen to music for hours. Busy afternoon? You can sit on the couch with your respective laptops and get sh!t done. You don't always need to be "entertaining" one another.

You Make A List In Your Head Of Things To Tell Them The Next Time You See Them

And it seems like every hangout always begins with: "Oh my god, I have so much to tell you."

They Get You Gifts You Didn't Even Know You Wanted

It's not about how much you get, but the fact that they know you so damn well.

You Feel More Like Really Close Siblings Than Friends

They just feel like family — there's really nothing more to it.

You Share With Them Things You Would Be Completely Embarrassed To Say To Anybody Else

In fact, that's what you bond over the most.

They Made You Realize The Quality Of Friends In Your Life Is Far More Important Than The Quantity

If all you had was just one good friend for the rest of your life and it was them — that would be quite alright with you.

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