True friends tell it like it is
You know that friend who is brutally honest with you – even if what she says isn't what you want to hear? Well, she’s probably your truest friend. According to a study published inPsychological Science, the friends who give you the advice you don’t actually want, and the friends that push you out of your comfort zone are the truest friends. Why? Because they aren’t acting in their own personal interest -- they are actually looking out for you.
The lead researcher explains, "We have shown that people can be ‘cruel to be kind’ -- that is, they may decide to make someone feel worse if this emotion is beneficial for that other person, even if this does not entail any personal benefit for them."
Getty Images