Enneagram 7 Friendship: How the Enthusiast Creates Bonds

Enneagram 7 friendships are exciting and unpredictable, reflecting the Seven’s spontaneous nature.

Keeping a Seven, also known as the Enthusiast, interested in you can be a challenge, as they tend to jump from one person or idea to the next without much regard for the consequences. However, they are warm, affectionate, and devoted to those they love.

In this article, we’ll explore how Enneagram 7 friendships develop and what kind of friends Enthusiasts are. We’ll also analyze what Sevens seek in friends and what weaknesses they need to overcome to improve their connections.

4 Key Traits of Enneagram Sevens as Friends

The key traits of Enneagram Sevens as friends reflect all their essential strengths. For this reason, Enneagram 7 friendships are very dynamic and passionate, just like the Enthusiasts are.

Here are the four most prominent characteristics of an Enneagram Seven friend:

#1. Spontaneity

Sevens are one of the most free-spirited and spontaneous Enneagram types. They have rich imaginations and are very creative, always full of ideas about new ways to have fun and experience joy in life.

As a result, they bring an element of playfulness and surprise to Enneagram 7 friendships since they spontaneously follow their ideas and impulses, taking others along with them. Their spontaneity also inspires their friends to be more creative and embrace a more relaxed way of perceiving reality.

#2. Sense of Humor

One of the many reasons why Sevens make friends so easily is that they have a great sense of humor and can turn tense and complicated situations into fun and inspiring experiences. Others are naturally drawn to their positive energy and light approach to life but also amused by their spirited words and sharp, witty insights.

Plus, their sense of humor often spontaneously invites others to see things from different perspectives.

#3. Optimism

No matter how difficult or unlucky their current situation is, Sevens can always find a silver lining and foster hope for a better future. They are genuinely optimistic and strongly attuned to focusing on the positive aspects of even the worst outcomes.

For this reason, they are often like a lighthouse in a storm, intuitively guiding others toward hope and a brighter mood.

Additionally, their optimism often acts as a catalyst for positive changes in their friends’ lives. Although they are not typically perceived as counselors, Sevens are often asked for advice and direction by those closest to them. This is precisely because of their ability to see everything from a positive perspective.

#4. Personal Warmth

Sevens are rather warm and affectionate toward the people they love, and they express their emotions spontaneously. For this reason, their friends easily relax around them since they feel appreciated, accepted, and loved.

They enjoy surprising their loved ones with gifts and find very creative ways to show them how much they care and what they mean to them. This is because they deeply care for their friends’ well-being and happiness, which may not be so obvious at first. Even though they may seem untamed at times, they are affectionate and very loyal to their closest friends.

3 Beautiful Strengths of Enneagram Type 7 as a Friend

The strengths of Enneagram Type 7 as a friend stem from their vibrant, energetic, and lively spirit. Let’s have an overview of their best qualities:

#1. Open-mindedness

Sevens are genuinely open and curious about other people’s viewpoints, and they never judge others for anything they feel or do. For this reason, their friends feel like they can be themselves around Sevens without having to justify their actions or thoughts.

This trait also supports emotional intimacy, as it allows others to be honest with Sevens freely. Plus, Sevens actually enjoy learning about other people’s differences; they find unusual traits, opinions, and experiences exciting.

#2. Intellectual Stimulation

Sevens are highly intellectually oriented, and they seek friends who can match their intellectual intensity, diversity, and curiosity. So, logically, they provide plenty of intellectual stimulation to their friends because their minds are always racing and following their many interests and passions.

Due to this, Enneagram 7 friendships foster mutual intellectual and personal growth and development. This isn’t strange, bearing in mind that keeping up with Sevens usually requires mental alertness and a willingness to explore new topics all the time.

#3. Generosity

Sevens are rather generous in every sense, from being willing to share their material resources with you to giving you their time, support, and attention without any calculation. They are also great at providing encouragement and will eagerly cheer you on to pursue your dreams.

Thanks to this trait, Sevens push their friends toward growth and enjoy taking on new challenges with them, generously sharing all their resources to support such experiences.

4 Potential Challenges of Being Friends With the Enthusiast

Though there are many great things about Enneagram 7 friendships, there are also some potential challenges that may arise, especially when Sevens are under stress. Here are some of the typical issues that may emerge in such situations:

#1. Conflict Avoidance

Enthusiasts generally run away from unpleasant feelings and experiences. Also, even though they enjoy challenging debates, conflicts are overwhelming to them, and they react to these by avoiding them and pretending as if they don’t exist.

Unfortunately, this may lead to emotional distance in Enneagram 7 friendships and also hinder Seven’s personal growth.

#2. Lack of Commitment

Sevens struggle to commit even to their greatest passions as they are so easily distracted.

So, they may be impressed by someone and start a promising friendship, and then disappear all of a sudden because they were drawn by something more exciting happening at the moment. This may leave people feeling confused, betrayed, and disappointed, and it surely isn’t a healthy foundation for a stable Enneagram 7 friendship.

#3. Emotional Detachment

The Enthusiasts are afraid of intense and deep emotions, especially unpleasant ones; they instinctively run away from pain, sorrow, and discomfort. For this reason, it may be challenging to become emotionally close to them.

#4. Impulsiveness

Impulsive reactions are typical of Type Seven, as they feel free to follow their hearts wherever they might take them. While this may sometimes lead to good decisions, it may also cause reckless behavior that their friends may perceive as dangerous.

Due to this, Seven’s impulsiveness may lead to emotional estrangement in friendships since their friends don’t know how to interpret their sudden changes in opinions and plans.

3 Tips for Creating a Lasting Friendship with Enneagram Type 7

Making friends with Sevens is easy, but creating a lasting friendship is a true challenge. Here are some essential tips for building a solid and stable Enneagram 7 friendship:

#1. Show Emotional Maturity in Crisis

Only emotionally mature people who understand Seven’s need to avoid unpleasant emotions stand a chance of building a steady connection with the Enthusiast.

Enthusiasts lack emotional literacy and intelligence in terms of emotional regulation, so they need friends who can understand them better than they understand themselves. Staying with Sevens during a crisis without pressuring them to share their emotions is the best way to encourage them to grow and overcome their emotional avoidance tendencies.

#2. Share Your Passions

Sevens enjoy discovering new things, and by sharing your passions with them, you are providing them with intellectual stimulation and feeding their curiosity. This might even be essential for keeping them engaged in a friendship.

Intellectual compatibility is very important for Enneagram 7 friendships and one of the strongest indicators of its stability. So, don’t hesitate to engage in intellectual discussions and debates with your Enthusiast friend; these can only strengthen your friendship.

#3. Embrace Their Playfulness

Stay open to unplanned activities and events with your Enneagram Type 7 friend, as they constantly come up with new and tempting ideas for having fun. Embrace their adventurous spirit, but don’t forget to follow their enthusiasm without crossing your personal boundaries.

Sevens need friends who can join them in their adventures but also stop them from taking on too much risk and putting themselves in unnecessarily complicated and dangerous situations. So, it is safe to say that Enneagram friendship compatibility for Sevens is the highest with well-balanced personality types who can be both spontaneous and rational.

How Can Enthusiasts Strengthen Their Friendships?

Enthusiasts can strengthen their friendships in many simple ways without having to sacrifice any of their charm and playfulness. Here are some key tips:

#1. Show More Interest in Your Friends' Emotional Well-Being

You are easily distracted in conversations because you have so many thoughts and ideas running through your mind. Due to this, your friends may quickly get the impression that you’re not listening to them. So, try to focus more on making them feel heard and seen by practicing active listening and showing genuine interest in their feelings.

#2. Follow Through on Commitments

You tend to promise a lot without considering if you can actually follow through. This is why your friends may occasionally feel like you let them down as you fail to live up to your promises. So, pay more attention to what you tell your friends to avoid giving the impression that you don’t care about them.

#3. Foster Your Friendships Intentionally

You need to understand that every relationship needs devotion, commitment, and conscious effort to thrive and be stable. Making friends wherever you go is easy for you, but you need to create your own tribe of people on whom you can always rely and who can always rely on you, too.

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Key Takeaways

Having an Enneagram Type Seven as a friend is a surefire way to make your life interesting and exciting. They bring so much joy, creativity, and fun to every relationship, and no one is immune to their positive attitude and great sense of humor. However, it might also be pretty challenging to actually keep them in your life due to their untamed spirit.

Let’s remember some of the critical insights about Enneagram 7 friendships we analyzed in this guide:

• Sevens need intellectual stimulation, and their friendships are mostly based on intellectual compatibility.
• Being Seven’s friend requires emotional maturity, as these individuals struggle with processing unpleasant emotions and their lack of emotional regulation skills.
• It is essential for Sevens to learn to be more consistent and understand that they have to invest more energy into maintaining (not just in making) friendships.