{"id":24355,"date":"2026-04-24T14:03:33","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T14:03:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/incredipros.com\/?p=24355"},"modified":"2026-04-24T14:03:34","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T14:03:34","slug":"10-tips-for-how-to-make-friends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/incredipros.com\/?p=24355","title":{"rendered":"10 Tips for How to Make Friends"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The average American adult hasn\u2019t made a new friend in five years.1<\/sup> Five years! So, if you\u2019re wondering how to make friends, you\u2019re not alone.\n <\/p>\n

Why is making friends so hard?<\/em>\u00a0Because friendships are formed through shared experiences, in doing hard things together, which is why a lot of our ride or die buddies come from childhood or college.\n <\/p>\n

But as we age, we settle into our routines of work and family and errands and isolation. Before you know it, time passes, and you move, change jobs, or have kids. Then one day you look up and\u00a0realize you\u2019re lonely.\n <\/p>\n

Make no mistake, it\u00a0is<\/em>\u00a0hard to make friends. It\u2019s the worst. It\u2019s awkward and messy, and it takes time. But if you want to live a full life, you\u2019ve got to do it.\n <\/p>\n

Where to Make New Friends<\/h2>\n

If you\u2019ve ever asked yourself, Why do I struggle to make new friends?<\/em>, know there\u2019s nothing wrong<\/em> with you\u2014but you might not be in the right environments <\/em>to meet new people. Here are 10 places where you can meet new people and make new friends:\n <\/p>\n

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  1. Volunteer in your community.<\/li>\n
  2. Join a local gym or sports league.<\/li>\n
  3. Visit a neighborhood coffee shop or juice bar regularly.<\/li>\n
  4. Join a professional networking group.<\/li>\n
  5. Become a donor or support your community arts, zoo or museum organizations.<\/li>\n
  6. Go to church or join a spiritual study group.<\/li>\n
  7. Take your dog to the dog park.<\/li>\n
  8. Visit neighborhood food, art and music festivals.<\/li>\n
  9. Check out Meetup for local social groups and activity calendars.<\/li>\n
  10. Take a class or learn a new skill through a community college or learning center.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    How to Make New Friends<\/h2>\n

    Making new friends as an adult is going to take intentionality. A lot of it. And I don\u2019t care if you\u2019re a 6-foot-2-inch introvert from Texas like me or a social butterfly with a gazillion Instagram \u201cfriends.\u201d You\u2019ll need to decide to take action to meet new people. Here are 10 ways to make new friends.\n <\/p>\n

    1. Go first and put yourself out there.\u00a0<\/h3>\n

    All friendships start with risk. When you\u2019re learning how to make friends as an adult, you\u2019ve got to put yourself out there, try to connect, and see how people respond. It\u2019s scary, but it\u2019s worth it.\u00a0You\u2019ve got to stop waiting for someone else to reach out to you. You go first! You<\/em>\u00a0are worth it.\u00a0\n <\/p>\n

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    So, at the beginning of this endeavor, decide that you\u2019ll accept awkwardness and rejection. It\u2019s not always going to click or work out, but don\u2019t take any of that personally\u2014just keep showing up. Even if small talk, eye contact, friendliness and smiling aren\u2019t first nature to you, you can learn the skills you need to connect with people and make friends.\n <\/p>\n

    By the way, if you\u2019re facing some serious social anxiety or need to work on some basic skills for connecting, I encourage you to\u00a0find a therapist\u00a0who can help.\n <\/p>\n

    2. Be intentional about staying connected.<\/h3>\n

    We live in a fast-paced, self-centered and isolated world. Making friends is an act of will and a commitment to being open and vulnerable. If you want to make more friends, you have to be purposeful about meeting people, spending time with them, and following up\u2014whatever it takes to stay<\/em> connected. This means you might need to let go of some habits and time wasters standing between you and friendship. You might need to put reminders on your calendar and practice responding to others. The key is intentionality.\n <\/p>\n

    3. Focus on\u00a0being<\/em>\u00a0a good friend.\u00a0<\/h3>\n

    If you want to have good friends, you must first\u00a0be a good friend. I\u2019m not just talking about your personality. You don\u2019t need to be the funniest girl in the room or the life of the party guy.\n <\/p>\n

    I\u2019m talking about character and service. Are you kind and respectful? Are you appreciative of others? Do you show up pretending to be someone you\u2019re not, or are you comfortable in your own skin? Are you a good listener? Are you generous with your time? Do you show up for people? If you focus on serving others\u2014making them feel seen and known and valued\u2014instead of thinking first about what you can get from them, people will notice.\n <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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    4. Ask your friends to introduce you to their friends.<\/h3>\n

    This tip for how to get friends is for people who have moved to a new city and are looking for community. You can use your social media network\u2014and your friends who live in other parts of the country\u2014to connect with people in your new city. (This goes for coworkers too.) If you have a friend or acquaintance who wants you to meet someone they like, go for it. Will it be awkward? Possibly. Could it be a disaster? Maybe. But could you also end up with new friends, great connections and a new gang? Absolutely.\n <\/p>\n

    5. Invite people over for coffee, dinner or playdates.\u00a0<\/h3>\n

    Hospitality is a lost art and the foundation of\u00a0human connection. Unfortunately, our culture loves entertaining, but we\u2019re not good at hosting<\/em>. Entertaining is about a putting on a performance. It means having swept floors, charcuterie boards and serving platters hand-selected by Joanna Gaines.\n <\/p>\n

    Hosting is about making people feel welcome, included and warm. It means an open door, a light on outside, piles of laundry and dishes, and a welcoming spirit. Open up your home and see what happens. Let the neighbor kids come over and play with your kids. Have a weekly \u201cleftover night\u201d where you invite people to bring whatever they have in their fridge and eat around your kitchen table. These simple connections can grow into solid relationships over time.\n <\/p>\n

    6. Ask people if they want to be friends (and see what happens).\u00a0<\/h3>\n

    When my family and I first moved to Nashville, we didn\u2019t know many people. After a few weeks of making connections, we had two different couples over to our house for dinner. After dinner, we sat down and asked them directly, \u201cWill you be our friends?\u201d\n <\/p>\n

    Yeah, it was awkward starting over and practicing how to make more friends. But one of the guys we asked had tears in his eyes when he responded, \u201cNo one has ever asked me that before.\u201d People crave connection\u2014and sometimes they\u2019re waiting for you to take the first step.\n <\/p>\n

    Be generous with your invitations. If there\u2019s a coworker you\u2019d like to get to know, ask them out to lunch or coffee. Buy an extra ticket to a concert and invite someone to come with you. Take your neighbors to church. Or ask someone to go fishing. You don\u2019t know what they\u2019ll say, but it doesn\u2019t matter. You\u2019ve decided to become a person who takes risks. You take care of your side and let the cards fall as they may.\n <\/p>\n

    7. Figure out what you like to do\u2014and then do it with other people.\u00a0\u00a0<\/h3>\n

    Follow your interests and hobbies and quirks to find like-minded friends. If you love being outside, connect with a hiking group. If you like MMA, host a watch party on fight nights. Whatever your thing is\u2014birdwatching or CrossFit or crime documentaries\u2014find people who are into those same things in your community. My church community is an important place of connection for me and my family. And I love going to concerts, having adventures (see below), and going on hunting and fishing trips.\n <\/p>\n

    8. Plan an adventure and invite others to join.\u00a0<\/h3>\n

    Remember: Friendships form over shared experiences. Nothing will bond you like a wild adventure, whether it\u2019s seeing a show at the theater, attending a live comedy show, taking a day trip to explore a neighboring city, or going on a not-so-thought-through camping venture.\n <\/p>\n

    One time, my wife and I asked a couple at church if they\u2019d be interested in taking a vacation together. It was super risky\u2014you\u2019ve got to choose wisely if you\u2019re asking someone to spend that much time with you. But you know what? It went great. That trip helped us connect on a deeper level than we ever had before. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\n <\/p>\n

    9. Say yes to invitations.\u00a0<\/h3>\n

    The flip side to taking initiative is being open and available when people ask you to join something. I have a friend named Caitlin who said yes to a lake trip when she had just moved to a city. Honestly, she didn\u2019t want to go. It would have been more comfortable to stay home and eat takeout. But she took a risk and said yes. And she ended up meeting some lifelong friends on that trip, including the man who would become her husband.\n <\/p>\n

    I\u2019m not saying if you get invited to a lake, you\u2019ll meet your future spouse. You might go, and it could be terrible. But if you go into it with curiosity, and you keep showing up, you give yourself a chance.\n <\/p>\n

    Be adventurous. Sign up for things. Go to parties when you\u2019re invited. Don\u2019t assume it\u2019ll be a disaster or that you won\u2019t get along with those people. Just go.\n <\/p>\n

    10. Be patient with the process.\u00a0<\/h3>\n

    Making friends as an adult can be messy and awesome and frustrating. It might take a while. You might put hours into getting ready for an event, attend the event, and still leave without meeting anyone. That\u2019s okay\u2014and all part of the process. The right relationships will<\/em> work out. The best relationships take a while to sprout and bloom and grow. Don\u2019t rush! Keep focusing on what you can control and be openhanded with the people you\u2019re given.\n <\/p>\n

    What Not<\/em> to Do When Making New Friends<\/h2>\n

    Now that you\u2019ve got some pointers for how to make new friends, let\u2019s talk about some things not<\/em> to do when making friends. You\u2019ll avoid some social blunders when you don\u2019t . . .\n <\/p>\n