Six Things To Know About Guy Best Friends
Having a guy best friend can be a real blessing. It means that you can talk and share things with someone who may have a completely different perspective on life, and you can offer each other some interesting insight into the mentality of the opposite sex. If you already have a guy best friend, then you were most likely surprised at first at how differently they can see and experience things.
Therefore, we have prepared a list of 6 things that you should be aware of before getting a guy best friend, just in case you need some help to run things smoothly.
Six Things You Should Know About Being Best Friends With A Guy And Having The Greatest Friendship Ever
A word of warning: As you may have noticed, although we all enjoy having friends of the opposite sex, it is extremely rare to have a guy best friend. In those situations, it is not uncommon that one party is secretly interested in a bit more than just friendship, although this may not always be the case. Sometimes, people start out as just friends, and involuntarily grow into something more. If the feelings are one-sided, this may lead to a very awkward situation. Knowing this, you can see why this kind of friendship can be a little more difficult to maintain than same sex friendships.
Keeping it friendly is HARD
If you and your guy best friend are not sure you are on the same page about your friendship, keeping it friendly may prove difficult. You have to make sure that both of you know what’s going on, so you don’t misinterpret an act of friendliness (for example, offering to help with something) as anything more. You should do your best to avoid any such confusion, as it will just make things awkward.
Find a mutual topic
And if you are wondering how to get a guy best friend, we have some ideas for you. As with any friend, you should look for mutual points of interest, for example, you may like the same bands, or read the same books, enjoy the same sport... That way you can always have a topic to talk about.
Alternatively, you can try out some things that are traditionally considered “boyish”, such as video games. There are so many games out there, that you are bound to find one that you like. If you don’t enjoy first person shooter games, you can try a role playing adventure, or maybe a strategy game. Alternatively, you can try getting into some sports, for example, keeping up with the latest events in football or anything else you can both find interesting.
Learn to listen
Keep in mind that the very best way to make friends, male or female, is to be a good listener and to be able to keep an interesting conversation going. So when you are talking to someone, really listen to what they are trying to say, rather than just wait until it’s your turn to speak.
Try to provide a meaningful response, maybe share something about yourself, or comment on how you see such issues, etc. Sometimes he might find your girly insight really useful, especially when it comes to relationship problems. If he is willing to discuss such things with you, you may be able to offer some fresh points of view.
Take advantage of your differences
When having a guy best friend, you will notice that sometimes you experience the same thing quite differently. It is a good idea to share such impressions with your best friend, as it will give you valuable insight into the mentality of the opposite sex. Sometimes you will be confused by their actions or comments because of this different mindset.
For example, how many times did you notice a male friend finding it hard to apologize? Of, course, this is not something that goes only for men, but it is more common. Another thing you can expect when you have a guy best friend is that he may turn simple things into a competition. Things you might find irrelevant, for example, how late you stay up at night, how much candy you can eat, how long it takes you to read a book, etc. This is due to natural male competitiveness, and may come as a surprise to girls.
Be careful of TMI
Another likely thing is that he may hesitate to be completely open and tell you everything that’s on his mind, unless you are really, really close. This can happen if he is the kind of person to think in categories, and consider some things to be “guy things” and others to be “girly things”.
This may cause him to feel awkward while discussing “guy things” with a girl, or your “girly things”. For example, he may not want to talk to you about going to the gym, or if you mention that you are on your period and that you have stomach pain because of it, he may be extremely uncomfortable. So thread carefully, and try to figure out how much information is too much information.
Hey, Bro!
If you want a nickname for your guy best friend, you can always stick with the classic: Bro. This also sends out a clear message that the two of you are just friends. Of course, you can always use a variant of their name, or, just to annoy them, you can use the same nickname their mom uses. Also, if you have the same sense of humor, you can figure out a nickname that only the two of you can make sense of, and let the rest of the world wonder about it.
So, if you want to have a guy best friend, first consider him as a person, and then as a guy. The basic rules for any friendship still apply, with a few tweaks here and there. In the end, it simply isn’t possible to force a friendship, so if it’s not really happening, just leave it be, and wait for someone else to happen. Just try to relax, and have fun!
