Telling your friends you love them?

[serene-spirit]

I don't think it's weird to say "I love you" between friends (as long as you mean it ofc); however, I'm quite emotionally guarded so I can be awkward and evasive when a friend says it to me. Working on it, though!

 

[TN4U]

This is a much harder phrase to say coming from the male side, as I've never been in a real relationship.

Regrettably, back in high school, I did tell a female friend once that I had feelings for them. They did not feel the same for me, which was understandable. However, I felt incredibly embarrassed after the fact and never brought it up with her again. That little bit of weirdness didn't stop us from still being friends at the time, thankfully, as we still hung out quite a bit afterwards. At least I now have somewhat of an understanding of what I can and cannot say at certain points in a friendship.

I don't consider myself a part of any friend groups these days, so I really don't get a single opportunity to tell anyone that I love them other than family members, which isn't weird whatsoever.

 

[Sheando]

I don't think it's weird to say to close friends, but I'm not super great at being expressive/demonstrative, so I admit it can be hard for me. I tell my partner I love him regularly and that is easy. I also tell my best friend that I love her, since she says it to me and I've slowly become more comfortable saying it (and it's certainly true!) I've said it to a handful of other friends over the course of my life, although she's probably the only one I say it to currently.

 

[ribbitribbon]

i say i love you to my gf and my family, but i don’t think i’ve ever said it to a friend. i wouldn’t be opposed, but it doesn’t seem like a natural thing for me to say either.

 

[Chronos314_XD]

I don't really think it's weird, but it's probably only something you say to really close friends cause when it's someone you're just getting to know that's when it's kinda creepy to me.

 

[mewp0ka]

i usually say it to friends i'm close and/or comfortable with. i appreciate them sticking around, so i wanna tell them how much they mean to me! <:

 

[xSuperMario64x]

I was just thinking about this earlier, I wish it was more normal for me to tell more of my friends that I love them because I really do

 

[Airysuit]

I'd say its pretty normal, but it also depends on the nature of the friendship. I have friends I very rarely say it too, but we express that affection in other ways

 

[Sarah3]

All depends on the level of friendship for me!

 

[Darcy94x]

I tell all my friends I love them. A lot of my friends suffer with mental health so I want them to know I won’t leave them in their tough times. Last year I nearly lost my bestfriend in a horrific accident he has since had 1 leg amputated and possibly getting his other leg amputated. I make sure to tell him I love him everyday. Life’s too short.

 

[OswinOswald]

Oof, I don’t think I’m very good at expressing emotions, so I voted ‘No’. Someone else mentioned they don’t say I Love You to their parents either, and I fall in that category, it was just something that was never said in our household. I’ve said it to a few boyfriends, but I think I read once that sometimes when you’re saying it in that context, you really mean ‘You make me really happy’. There are so many different kinds of love.
I looove mushrooms for example, and I would tell them that all day every day, and I would tell anyone I know that all the time. They are my all time favorite food and I like them in pretty much any form and context (except the poisonous ones!) That feels very safe.
My friend’s pets, I think they know that I love them, and my friends have probably heard me say that.
I do think I try and tell my friends when I appreciate what they do for me, or I tell them that I care for them, or that I’ll be there if they need me (and often I try to demonstrate that more with actions instead of saying anything specific out loud). I think that’s what the sentiment of this thread is asking, but I don’t think of that in the same way as the phrase “I love you”, which for me now is mostly associated with a romantic partner.
But lately with my current boyfriend, I’m learning it means a completely different thing for him in terms of romantic partners, more about being there for a person or caring for another person, and not about if you appreciate them. So I don’t use it as much because I think I’m using other words to express my appreciation of him.

Occasionally with friends I’ve used kind of a light form of ‘I love you’, like if I were to say, ‘hey, I love you man’ (I’m not a guy, but I imagine a guy saying this to another guy in a sort of off the cuff casual way), or sometimes to a girlfriend who is particularly effusive, maybe we’d say ‘hey girl, love ya!’ the same way I might say ‘oh, I love your dress!’.
I remember once a younger friend/acquaintance said “I miss you” and I had never said that to a friend in a platonic way before and I felt weird for a bit because I didn’t think we knew each other that well, until I realized I could definitely feel that for a non romantic partner definitely, so I started to warm up to that phrasing as well, but again, with the right people and in the right context.

 

[aericell]

i say it to my super close friends. it’s a lot more comfortable to say towards girl friends. i used to feel awkward saying it to a guy friend so usually it’s not just a straight up “i love you” but more like “i love you friend/bestie” or “love you” without the “i.” if it’s through text i add on a heart emoji, lately its been this one

 

[Cirice]

Really depends on the friends and the vibes of our friendship. Some friends I met a year ago I can easily love-bomb daily and it's completely normal between us while I almost never say to my best friend that I love them. Like ever. It would be weird if I started doing so because it's not something we do.

 

[Dunquixote]

I already replied to here but want to update. I think I used to at one point think it was weird but now that I’ve met so many more friends online, I’m seeing it is pretty normal. It probably would have been for the group of personal friends I used to hang out. Now, I’m realizing it really isn’t that weird (at least in my opinion). I think a lot of it depends on how comfortable the friends are with each other, the vibes like if they understand each other well, also the context.

 

[Kevinnn]

it's not a sentiment I've often said with my IRL friends, but we've definitely said it to each when we feel one of us needs to hear it. I don't find it weird, but I can understand if intimacy to that extent can be uncomfortable for some people, in regards to their friends.

 

[Mokuren]

I think it's not strange to tell your close friends "I love you" if they are comfortable with it!

 

[Aerith]

I haven't had a best friend that I've been comfortable expressing that to in a long time. I almost got close to saying it with my current best friend, but I chickened out and told them a more generic 'you are loved' statement instead. I also worry about friends catching feelings, so I'm more reserved with my expression of affection until I feel secure it won't create messy scenarios.

 

[Muna]

I'm extremely reserved about my feelings even to the most important person in my life and telling my friends that I love them?! No way, never, what a crazy idea. Also I'm pretty sure I don't love them.

 

[Liz!]

I like my friends a LOT but pretty sure I don't love them.
I think "I love you" is thrown around very easily without much meaning behind it.

Of course I'm fine with others saying it. I just don't say it unless I mean it, for life.

 

[kakapo]

Yeah but usually it's "love ya"