7 Types of Friends You Need in Your Life

Living through times such as these can become quite challenging, and we eventually realize that we simply cannot live through life on our own. That is why the friendships we form and nurture throughout our lives are very important. An article in Real Simple identified the five types of friends a person should have in order to live a better life. According to experts, a person should have the following types of personalities in their life: The Comic Relief, The Life Coach, The Risk Taker, The Challenger, The Loyalist. Here is my take on each personality type.

“The Comic Relief” 

I am fortunate to have met a few friends in my life who fall into this category. During my college days, I had a friend who never failed to make me laugh, mainly with his own brand of sarcastic humor. I relied on him to cheer me up, after failing an exam or suffering from a crush’s rejection. Even after college, he was still my funny friend. I distinctly remember that moment when he cracked me up while we were waiting for word from the ICU recovery room after my father’s quadruple bypass. According to Real Simple, friends who have a great sense of humor also have a lot of compassion to share, so they are a godsend in critical moments of your life.

“The Life Coach” 

Have you ever had a friend who despite the fact that you rarely see each other or get to talk, whenever you do have a chance to talk, it seems that time has not passed at all and you can pick up your conversation where you left off? This type of friend is rare and if you do find one, consider yourself lucky. I count a close friend from college as my life coach. She works in foreign affairs and is assigned at a post for six years. Whenever we see each other which can be years apart, she has advice and insights to offer about almost anything going on in my life.

“The Loyalist”

My loyalist friend has a special place in my heart. She is also a friend from college, and as the Real Simple article put it, she is the friend who I can be with at my worst – emotionally and even physically. She was the first person I poured my heart out to when I found out that I was pregnant for the first time. Without fail, she knew that I was worried about my situation that time and just let me talk and try to hold my tears back.

“The Challenger”

This type of friend is the one that is “brutally honest,” one who sees through your BS and is not afraid of giving it to you straight. I met my Karinyo Brutal friend later in life, when I was already working for a non-government organization. Early on, I resented her honesty, first about our work together, but after appreciating how much it helped me grow professionally, I became more open. Now she is still the same brutally honest person I know even if we no longer work together.

“The Risk-Taker” 

This friend’s love for adventure and all things new is contagious. According to Real Simple, this type of friend helps you think out of the box, explore and try new things and ideas. My loyalist friend doubles as my risk-taker – her life itself is an adventure – from her crazy relationships to her career choices which brought her to work in the vibrant city of Singapore.

In addition to these friend types identified by Real Simple, I would like to add two personality types of friends you should have, that is based on my own experience, and these are The Listener and The Enabler.

“The Listener”

For me, a friend who listens is more than just a Loyalist friend. A listener is someone who does exactly that – listen. She can listen quietly and not interrupt you as you rant or tell your deepest secrets, or she can also listen and participate in animated discussion. The key to a good listener friend is knowing when it is appropriate to just listen or be more pro-active. One friend of my mine who falls into this friend type can sit with me for hours in companionable silence while I complain about my former boss or my relationships.

“The Enabler”

Most of my friends say I fall into this friend type, to a fault sometimes. An enabler is a person who is ready to offer a helping hand to anyone she considers a friend. It can something as simple as getting useful information online or getting in touch with another person who may be able to help get such information. Helping out is not such a big bother and the enabler always finds time for it.