INFPs are the creative and thoughtful friends who have an innate understanding of what makes people tick. Despite their quiet nature, INFPs are fiercely protective of the people and ideas that they care about. This highly intuitive type takes some getting to know, but you will never regret taking the time to do so — here’s why they make the best friends imaginable.

1. They’re natural therapists.

It doesn’t matter what an INFP actually does for a living — their single greatest skill lies in analyzing those around them. You know those days when you’re feeling a little off but can’t put your finger on why? That’s not a problem when you have an INFP best friend.

Within the span of a three minute phone call, they can tell you that you haven’t gotten over the judgmental comment your colleague made three days ago, which triggered a reaction in you this afternoon when your boss didn’t praise you for your latest project and you’ll get over it once you finally make peace with the fact that your mom never expected you to be as successful as your brother. INFPs possess a borderline scary ability to get inside your brain and figure out what’s going on — a skill that often saves you a fair amount of work.

2. They’re the least judgmental people imaginable.

INFPs believe that every set of actions has a corresponding set of reasons behind it – which is why they find it difficult to pass judgment on others. INFPs are the absolute best people to go to when you’ve done something wrong and need a safe space to work through your feelings. They understand that everybody makes mistakes. And while they may not coddle you, they will always make an effort to understand where you are coming from.

3. They’re spontaneous and fun-loving.

Despite their serious demeanor, INFPs possess an almost child-like appreciation for life. Once they are comfortable around someone, they can switch on their silly side at a moment’s notice. INFPs are those friends you can call up at midnight to come build a fort and bake cookies with you and be sure that they’ll answer with an enthusiastic “YES!” Once you get a glimpse of the light-hearted side of an INFP’s inner world, the energy will become contagious.

4. They accept your most embarrassing emotions.

An INFP is like the secret blog you kept in high school – you can tell them all your most pathetic thoughts and trust that you will never be ridiculed. If there is a feeling that exists in the world, your INFP friend has felt it ten times over. This means on the days when you’re feeling seriously #emotional, you can text them stuff like “I am the tree that falls alone in the forest” and they won’t even laugh at you. They’ll probably be all “Fear not, you always make a sound to me” and then you’ll both get this warm, fuzzy feeling in your heart and never talk about the text again.

5. They protect their loved ones to death.

There’s only one thing more important to an INFP than avoiding conflict and that is defending the people and principles that they care about. While they’re quietly unassuming at the best of times, INFPs can rile up like no other when they’re offended. And nothing offends an INFP like a person they love being crossed. This fiercely loyal type would go to the ends of the earth for the people they care about — and take down anyone who dares try to stop them.

6. They see your potential, even when you don’t see it yourself.

INFPs see the good in everyone they meet – almost to a fault. When you are down on yourself, there is no one on earth who you can count on to pick you up as genuinely and lovingly as an INFP. Chances are they have a carefully crafted list of things they admire about you that they’ve simply neglected to mention. This type is naturally inclined to see the best in everybody around them. And if they’ve selected you to in their circle of friends, they probably see a lot of the best in you.

All you have to do is ask.