Friendship is a relationship of mutual affection between people. It's a stronger form of interpersonal bond than an association, and has been studied in academic fields such as communication, sociology, social psychology, anthropology, and philosophy.
Various academic theories of friendship have been proposed, including social exchange theory, equity theory, relational dialectics, and attachment styles.
The main characteristics of friendship include:
1. Voluntary relationship
2. Mutual affection
3. Sympathy and empathy
4. Honesty and trust
5. Mutual understanding and compassion