How To Make Friends

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When you were a kid it was a lot easier. In college you almost had to be trying not to make friends. But then you're an adult. You get busy with work. Your friends get busy with work. People get married. Have kids. And pretty soon being close means a text message twice a year.

As a young adult, it often feels like the world is your oyster when it comes to making new friends. You've got college classes full of peers to attend, a seemingly never-ending social calendar, and have never found it difficult to strike up a conversation with a stranger in a bar. Fast forward a few decades, however, and things aren't quite so simple.

Friendships have a huge impact on your health and happiness. Good friends relieve stress, provide comfort and joy, prevent loneliness and isolation, and even strengthen your physical health. But close friendships don't just happen. Many of us struggle to meet people and develop quality connections. Whatever your age or circumstances, though, it's never too late to make new friends, reconnect with old ones, and greatly improve your social life, emotional health, and overall well-being.

Our society tends to place an emphasis on romantic relationships. We think that if we can just find that right person, well be happy and fulfilled. But research shows that friends are actually even more important to our psychological welfare. Friends bring more happiness into our lives than virtually anything else.

Developing close friendships can also have a powerful impact on your physical health. Lack of social connection can be as damaging as smoking, drinking too much, or leading a sedentary lifestyle. Friends are even tied to longevity. A recent Swedish study found that, along with physical activity, maintaining a rich network of friends can add significant years to your life.

While developing and maintaining friendships takes time and effort, good friends can:

Improve your mood. Spending time with happy and positive friends can elevate your mood and boost your outlook.

Help you to reach your goals. Whether you're trying to get fit, give up smoking, or otherwise improve your life, encouragement from a friend can really boost your willpower and increase your chances of success.

Reduce your stress and depression. Having an active social life can bolster your immune system and help reduce isolation, a major contributing factor to depression.

Support you through tough times. Even if it's just having someone to share your problems with, friends can help you cope with serious illness, the loss of a job or loved one, the breakup of a relationship, or any other challenges in life.

Support you as you age. As you age, retirement, illness, and the death of loved ones can often leave you isolated. Having people you can turn to for company and support can provide purpose as you age and serve as a buffer against depression, disability, hardship and loss.

Boost your self-worth. Friendship is a two-way street, and the give side of the give-and-take contributes to your own sense of self-worth. Being there for your friends makes you feel needed and adds purpose to your life.

A fairly common social issue people have is that they're not sure how to make friends and put together a social life for themselves.