Friends are an integral part of one’s life. A life without friends seems dreary and dull and boring. Friends are there to pick you up when you fall down; friends are there to celebrate your successes; friends are there to give your rear the kick it needs when you’re pitying yourself; friends are there when you need advice about … anything; friends are there to bail you out of any pickles you may find yourself in; friends are there to boost your confidence when you’re trying to rake up the courage to ask somebody out. Friends, it seems, are there in all the significant moments/life events of one’s life.

This quote by Edna Buchanan sums up what I’ve rambled on in the above paragraph: “Friends are the family we choose for ourselves.”

Whether you’re single or in a relationship, you can never have too many friends. In fact, in today’s social media culture, you can have several hundreds to several thousands of friends! But, in truth, among these several thousands of friends you have, you’d choose just a handful of them to hang out with. But these handful of friends become the family of a single person. They rely on them for everything – from borrowing dresses to being a wingman/woman to being a mentor to being a shrink. Here’s a list of these extremely handy and important types of friends every single person should have in their lives:

1. Friend, philosopher, guide

This friend is the go-to person you can approach with any problem you may have. Relationship dilemmas – check. Career questions – check. Heartache problems – check. They give you sound advice when you need it the most. And they also don’t hesitate to criticize you when they see something that you’re ruining with your own two hands. They won’t shrink from a confrontation, if they think it’s in your best interests. They may not be your favorite person in the world, for they never back down from giving you a taste of reality, but they form an essential part of your life for sure.

2. The wingman aka Barney Stinson

The wingman is the person you should have as your second in a duel (not that you’re going to challenge someone for a duel, or vice versa); they always have your back. They even get you out of any scrapes you might find yourself in, although there might be a good chance that they got you into that scrape in the first place! They boost your confidence and extols your positives, so that you can pluck up the courage necessary to interact with the opposite sex. Often gregarious and easygoing, the wingman lets you have your moment of peace when you need it the most, by taking all the attention away from you. They make you feel comfortable, and are often able to put you at ease in uncomfortable social settings. Wingman is also the one who restores your faith in the opposite sex after a breakup (really, every break up is bad), and gives you the kick to the rear you are most in need of, when you’re wallowing in self-pity on your couch with a tub of ice cream in your lap.

3. The party animal

This friend’s radar goes off whenever the word ‘party’ is in the air. No matter where, when, or how, they are ready to drag you off to have a jolly good time. They are for the most part very pleasant, gregarious, and outgoing. They drag you to parties, and force you to mingle and meet new people. They get you out of your comfort zone, pushing your boundaries to experience new and exciting things.

4. The opposite-sex friend without benefits

This friend gives you perspective on how a member of their gender behaves, and a rare insight into the inner workings of their brains. They give you a shoulder to cry on, without being judgmental. At times your relationship with this friend might get tricky. That’s why this friend can’t be someone who might have feelings for you – even in the slightest, and they can’t also be someone who is too jaded with life and relationships of any kind. Instead of giving you the boost you need, they might drag you down with them.

5. Friend, confidant, BFF

This is the friend you can confide anything to, and they won’t judge you. They can keep a secret like a Swiss vault, which they won’t divulge even under torture! They stand up for you even when you’re in the wrong. They are loyal to the core, and can pick a fight with a bigger guy, if they think you’ve been hurt in some way. They are the ones you can call up at 3:50 AM and ask them to bail you out of jail. All through this, they won’t give you the third degree for your stupidity, but just let you go through your wild phase. But when they think that your wild phase is getting out of control and you’re going to harm yourself, they will do everything in their power to get you off that path – even if that means locking you up in the basement, with the key thrown in the bin!

What other type of friends have you got? Tell us in the comments.