Nick Perry argues that honesty is the single most important predictor of high-quality friendships. Real friends call out your bad habits and poor choices, giving you the truth you need rather than the truth you want, because they value your growth over your approval.
Do you know who statistically the best friends in the world are? It is not the people that you have known the longest who are most similar to you or who are the most fun. Studies found that this is the single most important trait when it comes to predicting high quality friendships. And that trait is not loyalty. It's not availability. It's honesty. The best friends tell you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear. They tell you that your offer sucks. They tell you that you eat too much McDonald's. They tell you that you are not living up to who you're supposed to be. They value your growth more than your approval. And this is why they are more exceptional than any other friend that you will ever have.
