10 Signs of a Fake Friend: How to Spot One From a Mile Away

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHow Can You Tell Who’s a Fake Friend?What Causes Someone to Be a Fake Friend?These Are the Different Types of Fake FriendsHow Fake Friendships Can Take a Toll on UsHow to Deal With Fake FriendsHow to Build Authentic Friendships

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

How Can You Tell Who’s a Fake Friend?

What Causes Someone to Be a Fake Friend?

These Are the Different Types of Fake Friends

How Fake Friendships Can Take a Toll on Us

How to Deal With Fake Friends

How to Build Authentic Friendships

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Fake friends are people who pretend to care about you but don’t actually have your best interests at heart.

Also known as false friends or fair-weather friends, they tend to act like friends only when it benefits them, saysAimee Daramus, PsyD, a clinical psychologist at Clarity Clinic, Chicago.

Genuine friends can be a valuable source of emotional and practical support.In fact, research shows us that having goodfriendsis linked to lower stress and better mental and physical health.

However, it can be tough to rely on a fake friend, because they may not show muchsupport, empathy, or loyalty when you truly need it. “When you need something, they’re suddenly not that into it,” says Dr. Daramus.

In this article, we explore the signs, causes, impact, and types of fake friends. We also ask the expert for some tips on how to deal with a fake friend.

These are some of the signs of a fake friend:

Fake friends take far more than they give, while promising they’re true friends. They may tell you how much they care, but they’re only really there for the fun parts of being a friend.—AIMEE DARAMUS, PSYD

Fake friends take far more than they give, while promising they’re true friends. They may tell you how much they care, but they’re only really there for the fun parts of being a friend.

—AIMEE DARAMUS, PSYD

These are some of the factors that might cause someone to be a fake friend:

Regardless of the reason why the person is the way they are, it’s not your job to let yourself beused, says Dr. Daramus.

It’s Time to Spring Clean Our Relationships

These are some of the types of fake friends:

Coping With Emotionally Draining Friends

Deceptive relationships can develop through no fault of your own. However, having a fake friend can affect you emotionally.

These are some of the emotions you may experience as a result of having a fake friend:

What to Know If You’re Concerned About a Toxic Relationship

Finding out someone is a fake ortoxic friendis not easy. However, these are some strategies that can help you deal with them:

It Sucks, But Sometimes Ending a Friendship Is Necessary—Here’s How to Do It

These are some strategies that can help you build authentic friendships:

What Are the Signs That Someone Doesn’t Want to Be Your Friend?

4 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Lu P, Oh J, Leahy KE, Chopik WJ.Friendship importance around the world: Links to cultural factors, health, and well-being.Front Psychol. 2021;11:570839. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.570839Ho CY.Better health with more friends: The role of social capital in producing health.Health Econ. 2016;25(1):91-100. doi:10.1002/hec.3131O’Reilly CA, Hall N.Grandiose narcissists and decision making: Impulsive, overconfident, and skeptical of experts-but seldom in doubt.Pers Individ Dif. 2021;168:110280. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2020.110280Anderson NE, Kiehl KA.Psychopathy: Developmental perspectives and their implications for treatment.Restor Neurol Neurosci. 2014;32(1):103-117. doi:10.3233/RNN-139001

4 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Lu P, Oh J, Leahy KE, Chopik WJ.Friendship importance around the world: Links to cultural factors, health, and well-being.Front Psychol. 2021;11:570839. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.570839Ho CY.Better health with more friends: The role of social capital in producing health.Health Econ. 2016;25(1):91-100. doi:10.1002/hec.3131O’Reilly CA, Hall N.Grandiose narcissists and decision making: Impulsive, overconfident, and skeptical of experts-but seldom in doubt.Pers Individ Dif. 2021;168:110280. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2020.110280Anderson NE, Kiehl KA.Psychopathy: Developmental perspectives and their implications for treatment.Restor Neurol Neurosci. 2014;32(1):103-117. doi:10.3233/RNN-139001

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Lu P, Oh J, Leahy KE, Chopik WJ.Friendship importance around the world: Links to cultural factors, health, and well-being.Front Psychol. 2021;11:570839. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.570839Ho CY.Better health with more friends: The role of social capital in producing health.Health Econ. 2016;25(1):91-100. doi:10.1002/hec.3131O’Reilly CA, Hall N.Grandiose narcissists and decision making: Impulsive, overconfident, and skeptical of experts-but seldom in doubt.Pers Individ Dif. 2021;168:110280. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2020.110280Anderson NE, Kiehl KA.Psychopathy: Developmental perspectives and their implications for treatment.Restor Neurol Neurosci. 2014;32(1):103-117. doi:10.3233/RNN-139001

Lu P, Oh J, Leahy KE, Chopik WJ.Friendship importance around the world: Links to cultural factors, health, and well-being.Front Psychol. 2021;11:570839. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.570839

Ho CY.Better health with more friends: The role of social capital in producing health.Health Econ. 2016;25(1):91-100. doi:10.1002/hec.3131

O’Reilly CA, Hall N.Grandiose narcissists and decision making: Impulsive, overconfident, and skeptical of experts-but seldom in doubt.Pers Individ Dif. 2021;168:110280. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2020.110280

Anderson NE, Kiehl KA.Psychopathy: Developmental perspectives and their implications for treatment.Restor Neurol Neurosci. 2014;32(1):103-117. doi:10.3233/RNN-139001

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