Mean friends do so much more than hurting your fragile feelings with the raw truth.
Sure, they might be annoying, way too blunt, and sometimes harsh on you, but it’s only because they have your best interest at heart.
Yes! Believe it or not, having mean friends is a blessing!
Not only will they always be straightforward with you, but they will never waste your time with unnecessary, sugarcoating details that distract you from the truth. That’s because they are amongst the most loyal, genuine people you will ever meet. Science has confirmed it!
According to a study by the Association for Psychological Science, “people may sometimes seek to induce negative emotions in others for altruistic reasons, not simply for their own pleasure or benefit.” In other words, people can be mean to you not because they want to see you down, but because they want to help you get over a certain situation.
“People can be cruel to be kind.”
The researchers surveyed 140 participants who were engaged in playing video games. This particular exercise aimed to examine the respondents’ behavior during hypothetical situations. They also listened to music clips and read short game descriptions that varied in their emotional content. While doing so, the volunteers were asked to take another person’s point of view in every situation they were involved in.
As the experts reveal, when the participants were required to consider another person’s perspective, they were more likely to choose negative experiences and emotions for the other person if they thought that this would be helpful to them. The act of favoring the negative in order to get a positive result was closely related to the respondents’ empathy.
López-Pérez, the lead author of the study, stated:
“What was surprising was that affect worsening was not random but emotion-specific. Our results have shown that people hold very specific expectations about the effects that certain emotions may have and about which emotions may be better for achieving different goals.”
This study proves that sometimes your mean friends are actually your best friends.
They don’t want to hurt you – they simply want you to be prepared for the real, harsh world we live in.
Most importantly, they love you with all their heart, and their candid nature comes out of a place of care, empathy, and affection. The truth may not always be the most pleasant pill to swallow, but your outspoken friends will always be there to help you get through whatever challenge life brings you.
If this article reminded you of your mean but dear friend, feel free to share it. Let them know how much their honesty means to you!