 What makes a great friendship? Well, some would say it's having shared interest or a similar sense of humor, while others would argue it's loyalty and dependability. Some people want a friend who's fun, adventurous and exciting, while others would rather someone who's supportive, empathetic and good at listening. Either way, like with any other kind of relationships, friendships need honesty, trust, care and mutual respect to thrive and survive. But when it comes to fake friendships, you'll notice that all of these things are sorely missing. So do you want to know if you have a fake friend and how you can spot them? Do you want to make sure that the people closest to you are with you for the right reasons? Here are seven things only a fake friend would do. First and foremost, a true friend would never gossip about you behind your back and spread all your secrets to everyone. No matter how juicy the rumor would be or how popular it would make them, they would never jeopardize your friendship or humiliate you like that. A true friend would never stoop so low as to portray your trust like that. Have you ever spent weeks planning a trip only for your friend to cancel on you at the last minute? No matter how many times you keep reminding them about it or making them promise you they'll come, your so-called friends never keep their word. Flaky and indecisive, you've had to learn the hard way time and time again that you can't ever count on them to come through for you. Another way you can tell when someone doesn't care about you as much as you do about them is if they're always excluding you from things. Fake friends will conveniently forget to invite you and leave you out of everything they do. Even if you go out of your way to invite them or tell them about your plans, they just don't do the same for you because the harsh truth is they don't really consider you a friend. Do you have a friend in your life who only ever calls you to ask for your help? Then they're probably a fake friend. Fake friends thinks it's okay to ghost you for weeks, only to come back and ask you for a favor. And the moment you give them what they want, poof, they're out of your life once more. While it's certainly true that most of us do love to talk about ourselves, once we come to care for someone, it's only natural that we'd want to know how they're doing as well. In a fake friendship, communication is largely one-sided, self-absorbed and inconsiderate. Fake friends will go on and on about themselves without ever once letting you know you get in a word of your own. A backhanded compliment is something fake friends do to subtly put you down by making it sound like praise. They might say things like you look so much better than you usually do, as a way of criticizing you without being too obvious about it. This kind of thinly veiled hostility shows that they are jealous of you and that they judge you more harshly than they want to let on. So, did anyone in particular come to mind while you were reading this list? Have you ever been in a fake friendship or fallen prey to fake friends before? Well, it may be a painful truth to swallow, but someone we considered a close friend would try and take advantage of us. It hurts even more to keep denying ourselves the truth and to stay with someone that is no good for us. For the sake of you and your mental health, watch out for fake friends and cut them off of your life before it's too late. So be mindful of these seven things that only fake friends do, and you'll have more room in your life for healthy, happy, and loving relationships with people that truly care about you.