A friendship will never last without honesty. It is the glue that keeps us together and it’s one of the most valuable possessions in any relationship. In this article, I want to discuss all the reasons why honesty is important in a friendship.
If there’s one thing I know, it’s that a friendship will never last without a fair deal of honesty.
Here’s a quick look at the reasons why honesty is important in a friendship.
- It builds trust.
- It shows respect for your friendship.
- It helps you grow as a person.
- Honesty prevents unnecessary drama.
- Honesty in friendship creates loyalty.
- You can open up to each other more freely.
- Honesty is a loving thing to do.
- Being honest can save a friendship.
With that being said, let’s discuss each of these reasons why honesty is important in friendship in more detail so that you have a better understanding of the role it plays in forming, nurturing and preserving a friendship for a lifetime.
1. It builds trust
For any friendship to survive and thrive, trust is an irreplaceable component. Without trust, a friendship will eventually cease to exist.
As far as I know, the only way to build trust in a friendship is through honesty.
Being able to share the truth with your friend, irrespective of how uncomfortable it makes you feel, is something to be celebrated.
Most people opt to take the easy route out but that creates a friendship built on an unstable foundation.
When you can be honest with your friend, they’ll trust you and vice versa. If the truth doesn’t tear you apart, nothing will and your friendship will be solidified.
Related post: Should friends be honest with each other?
2. It shows respect for your friendship
Much like trust, respect is another non-negotiable component of a healthy friendship. When you respect a friend, it will often be reciprocated.
If it’s not, then you are dealing with a toxic friend.
But, from what I know through experience and research, being honest often creates respect because it’s not always the easy thing to do.
The fact that you are willing to deal with the side effects of truth for the sake of respecting your friendship demands respect itself.
Even if your friend is upset with you, he or she will respect you for being honest and that can create ample opportunities to build a stronger and healthier friendship in the long run.
3. It helps you grow as a person
Honesty given and received not only helps a friendship develop into something stronger but it has the same effect on the people themselves.
There have been many times when being honest with a friend forced me to take responsibility for my actions.
True maturity develops when you become responsible.
Furthermore, getting honesty from my friends made me snap out of behaviors that were detrimental to my well-being.
The best relationships in your life will be those that help you to grow into a better person.
Friendships can offer that very same benefit as long as you both are willing to be honest with each other.
4. Honesty prevents unnecessary drama
Misunderstandings and drama are not always avoidable in friendships but when you are honest, it makes it infinitely easier to navigate these situations towards a resolution.
I have a friend who used to act cold, immature and rude when he was upset with me instead of just being honest.
He would also go behind my back and pretend to be a confidante.
Obviously, this tarnished the quality of our friendship and it’s hard to even look at him the same way because nothing has changed.
On the flip side, one of my healthiest and best friendships is with someone who exercises a great deal of honesty with me and I return the favor.
By doing so, we have avoided unnecessary drama and fights for over a decade.
Related post: How to know if your friend is mad at you
5. Honesty in friendship creates loyalty
When a friend can be honest with you, especially if someone is doing something bad or wrong to you, it can build trust and loyalty.
Nobody likes to be left in the dark.
Even to information that is hurtful, it is far more rewarding to be respected and told the truth than to be lied to.
For this reason, when you can be honest with a friend even if it may be problematic to you at times, it can result in a great deal of loyalty being earned from that friend.
6. You can open up to each other more freely
Every one of us needs someone we can open up to freely without the worry of being judged.
If you allow things to fester inside you, it can be extremely stressful and detrimental to your well-being.
For this reason, having a friend you can be honest with will have a huge impact on your mental health.
This will give them the opportunity to be understanding, compassionate and supportive which will feel great to both of you.
On the flip side, by you being honest, it shows your friend that you trust and care about them truly or else you wouldn’t open up to them like you have.
In turn, this will give them the comfort to open up to you.
In doing so, the two of you will develop a real friendship that can last a lifetime.
Related post: How to deal with friends who keep secrets from you
7. Honesty is a loving thing to do
When you care about someone, you want them to succeed and be happy.
Sometimes, this may place you in a position of disagreement with them, especially towards a decision that could very well be self-destructive.
At this point, being honest and trying to talk your friend out of a bad decision is a loving thing to do.
It shows that you care about them and want to see them succeed instead of fall apart.
Most people get a kick out of watching someone self-destruct because it appears to be entertaining.
But, not you.
Why?
Because you’re a good and loving friend!
8. Being honest can save a friendship
Being honest doesn’t only refer to interventions and revelations. It can also refer to the simple truth of expressing your feelings for a friend.
Sometimes, friendships suffer when people drift apart or get busy with the demands of life.
But, letting your friend know that you miss them and actually want to see them can save a friendship.
You never know when your friend could have been feeling ignored or like you don’t care about them because you haven’t made time to see them.
At this point, honesty could be the saving grace for your friendship.
Related post: Should I forgive my friend?
In conclusion
If you can find and develop a friendship that prioritizes a two-way flow of honesty, I’m willing to bet that it will be a friendship that lasts for a lifetime.
It takes a lot of effort but you can have an honest friendship with people.
What’s important is to find good-natured individuals who value honesty above most things. Also, become the kind of friend you want to find in others.
To put it differently, be an honest person and it will help you to attract honest people.
Even if you haven’t been honest before, now is a great time to start.
It’s never too late to become a better person and an honest friend.
With that being said, we have reached the end of this discussion on the importance of honesty in a friendship. If you have any thoughts or questions, please head over to the comment section below and let me know.
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