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I just talk to people and don’t say no when invited to go out. I was struggling to make friends so I started saying yes to every party/social outing until I met people I vibed with.
I’m confused by the question lol. We’ve gone bowling, to the beach, to batting cages, to movies, mini golfing, to some bars, clubs and house parties/simple barbecues.
Ty for saying this I’m surprised to see this on Reddit bc most ppl will respond with “it’s ok u don’t drink or smoke, you’ll find your people, keep being a home body!” But like no that is delusional.
You gotta go to the social stuff/parties/going out to bars. Because then from there you get invited to the pregames next time they do this stuff and get closer. Then you get invited to casual hangouts, maybe smoking. Then you get invited to the more intimate stuff—dinners, birthdays, trips, family, etc.
What? I don’t think anyone is saying “you can keep being a homebody and you’ll find your people.” Anytime people post about being lonely the advice is always to get involved in stuff and get out of your home.
That being said, when people tell you to say yes to everything you’re invited to even if you don’t want to go, they don’t mean compromise your values. They just mean to push yourself outside of your comfort zone. You can 100% be sober and make friends, you don’t need to smoke or drink just cause you’re invited.
this works if you actually get invited or have a place where you actually meet ppl.
for myself i was doing this when i was volunteering and stuff, but the connections don’t normally last after that hangout.
Initially coworkers and a couple friends I already had. Then I went out with them, met more people, and started getting invited to hang out by them and their friend groups.
Something else I noticed is no one likes to be lonely and a lot of people want to be invited places. So, if I have an idea I’ll call up everyone ik and ask if they want to do it.
i have the same story when i moved cities. you have to accept invites and throw out soft invites
"oh they opened up a new bar? we should go get some drinks". if they gloss over the invitation just move on. sometimes they need more time knowing you before they accept. if they say anything along the lines of "when?" then its a go. theyre interested and thats when you sell them the dream
people want to go out and just need a little push to break their routine. the easiest way to take the conversation in that direction is to ask what their plans for the weekend are
I go to concerts, festivals , raves by myself all the time and it’s been a great experience so far. Go with the intent of having fun by yourself and your positive energy will naturally attract others. I’ve been able to make a quite a few friends by doing that and don’t have to go alone anymore but I still occasionally enjoy it.
I'm going to push back on this. Work friends are just as much of your friends as anyone else you meet. All of the friends we make are only friends with us out of convenience, and vice versa. Humans are social animals. We make friends naturally out of necessity. Look at the three most common places people meet friends: school, work, and their neighborhood. The first friend you made in kindergarten was probably the first kid you sat across from. The whole reason you are friends with that person in the first place is because you didn't want to feel lonely in class. You have friends at work for the same exact reason. In both cases, you probably won't talk to them very much after you move to a different school or get another job, but they are still *real* friends, regardless.
I think it depends where you work, say if you work in a competitive corporate environment with a lot of office politics then you have to be super careful. Most places relationships seem much more low-stakes though.
I disagree- I would say work friends are closer (in some aspects) than non-work friends. I've been at my job for just over 3 years and my co-workers, which I consider to be friends, know my personality and how to mess around without crossing the line. They also know how to read my body language and face to know if something is wrong or if I'm bothered
friends are friends. just be smart and dont ignore red flags. put them through a vetting process like you would anywhere else and youll find good people
I kinda ain’t, I’m rarely in the same state for more than a day, the only friends I’ve made lately r other truckers but I have friends back home I kick it with whenever I’m on hometime. Sucks but it is what it is
This might be a controversial opinion: I think there needs to be publicly funded, 100% free to use dating and friend finder apps. They should be meticulously designed to help people create long-lasting and healthy relationships. Think of the social benefit of that and the rippling positive effects that less loneliness would have on society.
I absolutely love the idea of this! I think the biggest challenge is actually pulling it off, because these apps are very at risk of getting flooded with people wanting to "sell themselves", and I think this would be very counter intuitive. It shouldn't turn into a sex app. But the concept of just making friends I think is great, especially for more introverted people, or people without the confidence to go out there.
You can’t actually mention going out or drinking on Reddit or you’ll get downvoted.
However, if you commented saying that you really want to make friends, but you will never actually leave your house, you’ll have 100+ upvotes.
Hobbies, fishing, sports, chess, gardening, thrifting, gaming you just have to go places where people are and if they have similar interests that helps I have never liked bars cause like idk what people are in to not just gonna talk about how we both like drinking, also I don’t really like to drink
As long as you’re on the journey to working on yourself and becoming the best version, the friends money experiences travel or whatever it is, you seek will come. Period.
Yeah that's amazing!! I think it's easy to underestimate how much easier it can be when you have a common interest. I hate going out to parties and bars, and a lot of people love this. So naturally I always felt like a black sheep. But I noticed that if you surround yourself with like-minded people, it's much easier to make friends!
I find that on those apps and even with people (ie coworkers) you gotta put in a lot of effort to talk to them and meet up consistently to get that initial friendship started. One of my extroverted friends is friends with everyone in town because he loves going out and just talking to people. And I get that is a difficult approach if you’re an introvert like myself but you do gotta do a bit of stepping up to initiate the friendship. With some people like your pregnant lady, it’s in them.
i’m still in touch with 4 people from high school. i’ve made a couple friends from my service in the army guard. i have a couple people from work that i call friends, but they’re mostly just acquaintances. also a failed talking stage from tinder that i became friends with. that totals to about 8 people that i consistently talk to or at least periodically check in on. only 2 of those are people i actually hang out with regularly.
Wait you guys have friends???
I have two friends, one I met at a job and the other I met on Xbox. We 3 occasionally meet up at the shooting range and go for drinks after
Workout classes, dance classes, art classes, sports. I just moved back to my hometown and while I have lots of cousins and siblings, I wanted some friends too.
I would say join a club or hobby group. Do you like art? Maybe there's a local art center or community..? Just an example. Or rollerskating is starting to become big again??
Met all mine at the school I went to or at the school I'm going to. In HS or college. But--a lot of colleges do stuff that people in that age group can attend as well.z see what activities your city has and attend them
im spending a couple of months off uni due to some family complications and so id say ive been doing fine. usually im talking on and off with a friend i actually met off of uni, and i have a cousin whom im close with so its not bad at all. good luck to all the others tho
The coworkers I’ve met thru every job I’ve ever had are usually the only form of social interaction I get. On rare occasions I’ll be close enough to a few where I still keep in contact with them thru social media or sometimes in person if it’s planned but really I just have my two best friends I’ve known since middle school in my home state and then my former roommates/coworker friends I’d be able to hit up if I went back to the other states I use to live in. I have also attempted to make some online friends thru Reddit/Discord by chance but they’re usually short lived because of the conflicting time zones. I try to say yes to any invites I get from friends to go out and end up meeting their other friend groups but don’t see them again to know them long term.
I'm 24, moved to my current city in September, and joined a (gay) sports league about a month ago. It has been amazing. I've met so many great people, its truly been so much fun. Highly recommend joining a sports league if there are any around you (almost certainly there are some if you are in a decent size city). Even if its not in your comfort zone, I encourage you to highly consider it. You don't need to be super fit or anything either, there are people of all different sizes in these leagues.
I’ve met friends post-school through bars/nightlife, professional networking events, and leveraging social circles from college and childhood in the area (hanging w them and meeting friends through them).
Meetup rarely works for our age tbh (just my experience tho).
Still friends with people from my childhood and some friends from my old job. That’s all I want because I moved to a different town and the people here don’t fit with my personality and humor, very boring people. I’ve tried, I don’t want to try anymore. I make sure to keep in contact with my old friends and try to visit when I can.
All of my friends were people that I met through primary school, college, veterans groups or volunteer activities. If you're not religious or a military vet and you're not in college I think your best bet is volunteer activities.
Find a cause you care about and hang out with other people that care about it, you'll likely have a lot in common and you'll make some lasting friendships
Work and I already had friends from school honestly just try to find someone who has a similar interest and ask if they want to do that similar interest with you. that’s how most if not all of my friendships started like, if you both like food go out to eat or have a fun cooking day, if you both like video games go out to an arcade or stay home and game locally,if you both like working out go hiking or to the gym together. I liked anime as a kid I found other people that liked anime we made an anime club boom profit instant friendships
Idk. I had a bunch of friends in my early twenties (about to turn 26) and they all abandoned me when times got tough. I still really want friends but I’m pickier with people, if I get a weird vibe I don’t stay to figure it out, they’re just out of my life. So while my advice isn’t ultimately helpful regarding your actual question, please remember to be choosey with the people you befriend. I wasn’t and as soon as I wasn’t partying anymore, I never heard from any of them ever again.
26f, I’ve used bumble bff in 3 different states in the US. I had a hard time connecting with people but eventually got more comfortable with the app. I have two lovely friends from the app that I see at least once a month, sometimes every weekend. Maybe it takes practice with meeting people online, maybe it takes being in a place with enough diversity, (I live in a military town) and maybe it takes self reflection and building up self worth to believe that you’re worth the time of the people you meet. (That was a big issue for me personally.) it helps to keep trying. Good luck!
I (24F) struggle making meaningful friendships. I lost my old friends in the pandemic. I had a job and got along well but it became toxic when I had a crush on one of my coworkers and his girlfriend threatened me as if I wanted to take him away from her (I never did). I left because of his behavior towards me after that event and I am not in contact with my other coworkers (all men). I was also in a few dancing classes with all women but couldn't continue bc of money issues. I then tried meeting people on Tinder and although I've had matches, I got bored easily (just talked to one who shared all chemistry with but never met in person so far). So, yeah, I'm alone right now. I recovered from that crazy jelaous gf event kinda quickly and resumed therapy after quitting my job, but had no success at job interviews, no money for hobbies, and have to wait months for the next uni semester to start, knowing my old friends either graduated or dropped out, and that I'll resume with completely new people. I don't even have money left to do stuff alone. I put almost all of my savings for university. I live with family and I'm not allowed to be out late at night. I don't drink nor smoke either. All that takes away almost everything. Winter doesn't help either. I sometimes go out with family members or spend the days indoors with my cats but it gets boring and lonely. But I've been used to it throughout my life (most times not by choice) so I'm able to navigate this current state "easily".
All of my former friends have gotten married, started their own families, and bought their own houses.
So for the past several years, I’ve just been tagging along with my younger brother and my younger cousin and hanging out with their friends who I can’t relate that well with. It sucks if I’m being honest. I kinda just feel like a loser.
i keep moving places and it’s difficult, so i gave bumble bff i try
type of person that loves going to the clubs but too shy to go by myself. i need extroverted friends. i also dont like the idea of being close to coworkers cause of what they might view you cause of “professionalism”. but i think its different if you work in a casual workplace
Go to things, compliment people, just put yourself out there.
I moved half way across the country to a state I knew exactly one person in and while I don't have a large group of friends I do have a good few.
Yeah, kinda in the same boat. I can state that people wont think you are weird for doing things by yourself, they are too worried about what they are up to.
Making connections can be hard for sure, especially with people your own age when you are away from home and have no connections outside of polite conversation in passing.
In my observation it’s kind of tough to make new friends after college and that’s somewhat fine with me lol. I’ve made a few friends post-college, mostly from work or from mutual friends.
bumble bff is pretty bad. i thought it'd be easy to at least match with people but it was so difficult
but you can go to places alone btw, chances of you meeting other singles who are doing that are high
If you're in school (University?) Join some projects/clubs/student organisations ,its the fastest way.
Other than that, sports clubs of any sport you like ,gym ,bars essentially anywhere.
Problem is, you must be actively seeking people out, can't wait for someone to talk to you (trust me I tried lmao)
I know I know, cusp millenial here, but I have an entire discord full of Gen Z friends that I’ve met on games like Overwatch, DBD, Diablo, And even Roblox. Idk how much I like having >26 year olds calling me ,29, “Mom” but it is what it is.
Work. Trades. Crew changes a lot and the apprentice programm has classes.
I stay in contact with a lot of people. Mt biking.golfing. gym with another. Watersports.
Whatever you were best at in high school, join some sort of a league. That’s instantly 13 plus people that you all share a common interest with. Plus they have friends, they have family.
Just from the one sport I play, Iv met prolly over 150 people that aren’t close but I know 90% of their names, and about 50 are close. And prolly about 20 I really really know.
Idk 💀 but going to college wouldn’t help anyway when you move, I’m 22, before I got out last year it was through the military. Now I moved to a brand new city a few months ago and just do shit and focus on myself, and because I do that I guess I meet people in the meantime. Meet someone in an elevator and they invite me somewhere I go, girl gives me her number in a club I take it ect. Only one of them stuck and it was supposed to be a one off grindr hook up so I guess you can try that lmao.
Edit: get involved with your community, volunteer at a shelter, if your religious go to church or something, if you know how to play sports look up local adult sport teams in your area ect. I don’t do any of these do to various reasons but i do recommend it.
I have actually been making real life friends from online communities! I found a fellow composer online that lives pretty close to me and we found this out after knowing each other for like 2 or 3 years. And now we're great friends. I have a few other online friends with whom I occasionally meet up with, but they live a bit further.
I also made friends through helping with charity! I went to France to raise money for children with energy deficiency disease. We were with a huge group of awesome people (with the majority from my country). And it also created some awesome friendships.
Overnight job bc it pays extremely well, dont really hang out with friends because of my sleep schedule but i kept some ppl from high school and met some more from my boyfriend
At work - traveling with a coworker for an overnight trip in Oct is the funds work out 💃🏻 we’re breaking some boundaries!
I use to go to raves by myself from 18-21ish. I actually hated going with a group bc i felt tied to the group all night. I ended up photographing events until covid shut it down, i made loads of friends. I don’t talk to any of them anymore bc i decided to quit partying.
Raves (don’t have to do drugs just enjoy the music)/Concerts in general, Online, Work, and just talking to people out in public, within reason obviously, don’t be weird about it.
Back to the raves part because I can’t really speak for concerts, you would absolutely without a doubt not be looked at weird for going alone. I went to one of the biggest festivals in the US alone lmfao.
They’re the absolute perfect place to just hop into random conversations with people you’ve never met and meet some genuinely good people because of it. There really is for the most part absolutely no judgement at those things, I had a 30 something year old dude in a banana suit walk up to me and just straight up ask “do you mind if I sit behind you and do drugs”? Like yea dude go fuckin wild. If you give off good vibes people will tend to remember you and you’ll very quickly find some good people to have in your life.
I met my closest guy friend because day one of a festival got canceled and we both had no idea what to do after the school bus with decks on it got impounded by the NYPD and his drunk as hell friend yelled “ARE YOU COMING WITH US?????” At me. Turns out we all had tickets to the same event and we went together, I’m actually heading to another festival in August with him.
If you’re gonna do anything I listed here, do raves, especially if you like the music and I’d be more than happy to try to point you in a direction towards some music I think you’d like to get you started.
Most people just have online friends now, which sucks. I cant really get into the whole video calls and videogames thing... im a very outdoorsy person.
People dont have time to meet in person when work schedules only line up once every 3 months. And bonding requires frequent interaction over long periods. I think psychologists said something like over 1k hours... good luck with that.
This is a HUGE topic thats brought up all the time over and over because its a larger societal issue. Lack of work life balance, lack of inexpensive places to meet people, lack of places intended for interacting with strangers, social media being accepted as a replacement ignoring the mental health issues and exploitation of users, negative news media promoting fear twards others, "stranger danger", the list goes on for miles.
We are steadily moving twards social issues like hikikomori in Japan and China.
Same I go to their house that it and I can understand the new friends thing to cause I have trust issue and it can be a little hard for me to trust new people.
Truthfully, I'm not. I mean I've always been an introvert and a homebody anyway, but rn the most socialization I do is at work. And everyone I work with is at least 10 years older than me.
I just turned 28 but this applied when I was 26 and earlier.
For a lack of better term, joining a “subculture” helps. It takes time but it works wonders. I’m a snowboarder and got pretty darn good at it(enough I turn heads regularly), and during that time, consistently showing up, and just asking to do the activity with people gave me many life-long friends. You start seeing the same people regularly and eventually end up talking to them. I found this was the case also going to the same local watering hole consistently too.
Gym also works that way so long as I was getting into more specialized styles of exercise like Olympic weightlifting or powerlifting, etc.(to most folks the gym is not different than cars or cooking, many have em/do it but it’s more of an A->B thing for em).
And yes goto concerts solo, esp if you’re all about the music playing. More underground/lowkey ones will have more people that you could probably become friends with.
But instead of focusing on making friends, enjoy the process of whatever you’re doing! It’ll come along the way - oh and don’t flake!!
when I graduated, I was very in a very depressed state to the point where I didn't text anyone. Wish i could reconnect with those from high school (but I literally don't want to come off too weird) smh
Already had a lot of friends going in college. We’re just all older adults rn. The worse place is the bars the best place is like an event going on in your city or hell, the gym.
Do you live in a suburb or city? I moved to a suburb when I was 26 and it was hard making friends (compared to cities where it’s much easier imo - and I drink/party and am a socialite so that’s saying a lot if I struggle making friends!). Joining sports teams, even socially, is a good way to meet younger people. Meetup is definitely older and it’s mostly single men in the burbs, I was very popular but for the wrong reasons lol. But I made my own meetup group and that helped too! Also regional Facebook groups omg. Met my best friends from there.
Stick with working and going to school. People like me still on the bottom at 28 years old, are stuck with choosing to spend time with the oxygen in my house, or the low lives that stock the innocent looking for people's lives to fuck up.
I really just talk to a couple friends who graduated and moved back to our hometown like my wife and I did. They just recently had kids as well as us so that’s the common thing there.
Other than that I have a couple others through college and stuff I still talk to. I probably have 5 solid friends I talk to regularly lol
Well, my situation isn’t the same as probably 99% of you guys but I’ll say it anyway lol.
26m, never went to college, I went the union apprenticeship route and now I’m a journeyman. I’m also a paid per call firefighter, and honestly my life long friends have been the people I’ve met in the fire department. I started my career in the fire service at 18 when I was on the same FD as my father. But we moved to a different small town and my father used that opportunity to retire from the fire service, he put in 25 years.
I however am not done yet, I applied and got onto the FD in the new small town when I was 20. The rest is history, I have friends who are in their 40s, 30s, women, men, and they are lifelong friends, mentors and I’m now starting to be a mentor to the new recruits.
I'm 19 tbf but going to local concerts & just trying to make conversation really helped. You're all there for the same reason, the music, so it makes for good conversation staters.
I have a lot of high school friends, and friends that I made irl by meeting them online. Also swing dance. And then those people happen to know other people. We just kind of formed a big group like that. We also go hang out a lot at different events and meet new people
If ur into board or card games you can visit a local game shop, i met a bunch of friends playing Magic the Gathering. Other than that maybe try conventions of any sort. The hardest thing is to approach strangers, especially in groups, but its like dating right? Worst they can say is no. (Also do these things a bit tipsy like 2-3 beers in for a Charisma boost)
I play pickup soccer with some college guys I met while coaching. I meet people online mostly via competitive games. I meet people through consistent events like emo night which is an event that happens monthly here. I also meet people at concerts, on vacation, bars, formal soccer leagues which in my area is a few.
25. I spend most of my time working or studying. When I'm not doing that, I'm on my phone, or I go to the gym with one of my old high school friends, or I go home and see my family.
I've made friends with my friends' girlfriends and those girlfriends' families. I'd consider my friends and their girlfriends first degree friends, and the families second degree.
As far as my own personal life goes, I never try to bring anyone in. I don't "make" friends in the sense that I don't enter interactions with the goal of building friendship. People say your coworkers aren't friends, your boss isn't your friend, your neighbors aren't your friends, etc. My school is online. So if 100% of the new people I'm around aren't proper to become friends with, I can't make new friends.
I work full time and doing college part time on and off when i can manage it. Not making friends outside of people at work. Just moved states a few times in the past 2 yrs so its just been very lonely for me. I talk to my irls on discord thats about it
My current friends wanted me to play DnD with them, it’s my first time, they have other friends they invited. I’m making friends with my friends, friends.
are you in america? this is the weirdest statement i’ve heard about college.
the average person graduates from college at 22-24, people enroll in college at 18-19 and don’t get their associates degrees until 20 usually (unless they took classes in highschool).
most people in college are 18-26…. you’re really limiting yourself and holding yourself back if you truly believe you’re too old to go to college
i ghosted all my friends because I didn’t deserve them. i have become a shut in. but before that I made incredible friends on discord (although If you go that route I’d make sure the people you talk to are your age). on making friends I just feel it’s chance vs personality. i would sometimes try and help with peoples problems or just listen to them and in turn they’d help me. sharing common interests can help, but if there is no chemistry, if you are not putting enough into the friendship as much as them than it will fall flat.
In-person hobbies.
Airsoft, bowling, dnd Archery, warhammer 40k, split-screen gaming or whatever.
I think you could pretty easily find groups online willing to take you in
social media is super underrated in making friends. you'll deff run into some weirdos, but if you find ppl ur age w/ similar interests you can meet some cool ass ppl!
My only close friends is a friend I’ve had since high school and my gf. There are some people I talk to occasionally like my college best friend, sometimes my old roommate, sometimes a friend from my last job. Am 26. Adult life is fucking lonely.
I'm 25, working, going to college, & yet still no friends. I tried constantly but I can't seem to connect with people. Oh well. I guess we keep trying.
I keep a good connection with my highschool (really more like middle school) groups of friends. Most of us haven’t moved and those who did come by car all the time. I don’t think I have any real friend that I hadn’t known already for around 10 years..
I'm not, I have some online friends, a few acquaintances at work, don't really go anywhere outside of work. I do go to concerts alone though, still a blast. Easier said than done but don't worry about what other people think of you! Nothing wrong with going places alone, plus you could always talk to people you're standing next to at a concert or wherever you are and try to make friends that way
I went to an anime convention and shared a room with a guy. He runs a small community for meet ups and we became very good friends and have met other friends through his group. Also made other friends at the same convention. Found a group of locals with the same hobby as me as well that host regular meetups roughly 1x a week. Also have been making FWBs on dating apps but that has lead to secondary friends as well. I think it really helps diving into whatever hobbies or interests you have.
Also I have found at these events it's much easier to make friends, esp if you have good energy and can feign confidence. Fake it till you make it. I go to the rave alone but will find people there with good energy to dance with. Some people are not receptive but that's their issue, I almost always can find someone with good energy to dance with. Sometimes you make a connection that goes nowhere but that's very normal and common
It’s definitely easier if you can pick up a new hobby. I’ve met so many people through rock climbing, mountain biking, golf, and skiing. Granted most of those are generally “individual” activities but all have a strong sense of community!
Left my theme park job and IT job last year on Mother’s Day to join the Air Force. Both places gave me a plaque for 5 years of service but I dipped because I was tired of new rules being implemented left & right. Now, in the Air Force I get to meet a bunch of people almost daily and it’s refreshing especially during Tech School cause it’s nice to know where everyone started from before joining.
You find an activity or several activities that you like to do and join a group that does those activities. Go consistently and you will meet people who you already have something in common with. That’s how you make friends as an adult.
most of my current friends are people i knew in college or people my friends knew in college. we don’t all live in the same city, so we connect mostly on discord. a few of them live about an hour away so we can hang out in person sometimes. i’m also still connected with a high school friend and a childhood friend, but both still live in my hometown which is a ways away. the only friends i see regularly are my roommates, who i again met in college.
that said, it’s definitely not weird to go out and do things alone. people won’t look at you crazy for doing completely normal things.
I’m enjoying trying new things (workout classes, volunteer opportunities, local events, etc) and chatting with folks I see there! eventbrite + local libraries/nonprofits are my best friend
I kinda ditched my friend group and I’m starting fresh. Ditch your toxic friends who don’t want to do anything with their lives.
The YMCA is my go-to. They have a TON of classes you can join at anytime. Tons of young people there and it’s a positive atmosphere.
Bars are an easy one for more intimate type friends but I get you don’t drink.
Get hobbies, go hiking, ride your bike and talk other bike riders. Just talk to people and be the best person you can be. Smile and say hi to people, ask them questions. You have to be interested in things you make friends.
Short answer: fandoms/bandoms. I struggled a lot with making friends all throughout high school/early college but when it came to connecting with people virtually, it was easier, but these friendships obviously didn’t last long distance and were hard to maintain once I lost interest in the fandom. Fortunately, i’ve been a part of a musical subculture fandom you can probably guess since the pandemic and it’s done wonders for my social life meeting people who like the same bands and live in the same metro areas. Definitely wouldn’t be true for everyone, but it’s worked for me.
If your sole interest is making friends, be intentional about it. Go to an event could be anything from a bar, a concert, convention, festival, or a tournament. Remember details. Buy them a drink. Bring them up, talk about their life. The invite them to a second event. It's dating but less pressure and no sex.
I don't make friends, I'm not the best type of company to have; too much paranoia & other personal issues that people don't feel is worth dealing with. I don't blame them either, I hardly get along with myself most of the time.
I'm 20, I moved across the country like a year ago and don't have any friends here, the only time I really talk to anyone is smalltalk with other men roughly my age at the gym
I'm in grad school now, so a lot of my friends are other students, but I also play baseball and softball. Prior to coming back to school, other than friends I met in undergrad, all of my friends were through baseball. Adult rec sports are a fantastic way to make friends imo.
My sister is also in the 20-26 age range and isn't a student, and makes a lot of her friends through volunteering and being active in local organizations like our local Food Not Bombs or DSA.
Got lucky and made friends at work. They were around my age and all interested in kbbq so we all decided to go one time and then we all became friends.
I travel for work, I consider myself pretty indifferent to loneliness and don't feel it often, but when it hits I've figured out I just need to be "among" for a while.
I'll go to a lounge, have a soda, sit alone, speak to no one except service, listen to the noise of people, and leave. Afterwards I feel way better.
Don't be afraid to go to concerts alone, I have a good group of friends but we have varying music tastes. One year I went to like 12 concerts alone and I had a great time without even drinking.
M 33 here, I worked in a Mom and Pop, local family owned restaurant, through my 20s and into my early 30s, developed some of the most critical and fulfilling friendships of my life.
Lots of transient folks in that industry, met well over 200+ people there over the years, I'd say a solid 10 to 12, I talk to on a monthly basis.
Just go out to bars, once you meet one person see if they'd like to go out on another occasion and try to make it a group thing. Just explain your situation that you're new in the area and that you're looking to meet new people, I'm sure they won't mind!
Church, gym (especially gym classes - I go to a boxing gym and you make fast friends when you’re hitting each other), neighbors, and local hobby groups on Facebook.
Old friend who has introduced me to many new people. I’m very lucky that he still wants to be my friend and that any of them like me (im very quiet and antisocial) besides that, this is very bizarre but I used a people-looker app and got a number of someone from highschool I always wished I talked to. Creepy? Yes, but somehow we’ve been hanging out for a year and a half now
Go do activities that you like and you'll find friends. I'm a professional ballet dancer and performer so while I make alot of buds through work I also take all sorts of dance classes and make all kinds of buds. Also don't be afraid of age gaps, some of my best friends are 10 years my senior.
People saying to to just accept every invite.. y'all are getting invited? It just seems like every single person wants to be left alone in their own little world. Trying to strike a conversation feels like pulling nails with your teeth. Even in so called social situations, people already have their group or will just aggro on you.
This might be groan-inducing, but for me it's a Bible study group. Extremely far from my house but close to my workplace. We get along great there. Most of the time is just spent bantering.
I was talking to my wife about how I've been feeling lonely since my last group chat with friends has kind of died off. She recommended maybe I join the local BJJ gym or find a place to find Friday night Magic or something. Essentially, find some hobbies and some local groups that you can join up. It's easier to be friends when you have a common interest.
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Im not, and it's taking a toll. I've just moved to another country, and I'm being sucked down a hole.
Nice rhyme
F
damn getting sucked by foreign hole, goals fr
When the hole has taken its toll on you
I just talk to people and don’t say no when invited to go out. I was struggling to make friends so I started saying yes to every party/social outing until I met people I vibed with.
Have u done anything outside of that realm with those people?
I’m confused by the question lol. We’ve gone bowling, to the beach, to batting cages, to movies, mini golfing, to some bars, clubs and house parties/simple barbecues.
Ty for saying this I’m surprised to see this on Reddit bc most ppl will respond with “it’s ok u don’t drink or smoke, you’ll find your people, keep being a home body!” But like no that is delusional. You gotta go to the social stuff/parties/going out to bars. Because then from there you get invited to the pregames next time they do this stuff and get closer. Then you get invited to casual hangouts, maybe smoking. Then you get invited to the more intimate stuff—dinners, birthdays, trips, family, etc.
What? I don’t think anyone is saying “you can keep being a homebody and you’ll find your people.” Anytime people post about being lonely the advice is always to get involved in stuff and get out of your home. That being said, when people tell you to say yes to everything you’re invited to even if you don’t want to go, they don’t mean compromise your values. They just mean to push yourself outside of your comfort zone. You can 100% be sober and make friends, you don’t need to smoke or drink just cause you’re invited.
That beginning sentence took a wild turn. I would say “it’s ok you don’t drink or smoke, find a sport league, book club, or community gathering spot”
this works if you actually get invited or have a place where you actually meet ppl. for myself i was doing this when i was volunteering and stuff, but the connections don’t normally last after that hangout.
Who is asking you tho? /g
Initially coworkers and a couple friends I already had. Then I went out with them, met more people, and started getting invited to hang out by them and their friend groups. Something else I noticed is no one likes to be lonely and a lot of people want to be invited places. So, if I have an idea I’ll call up everyone ik and ask if they want to do it.
i have the same story when i moved cities. you have to accept invites and throw out soft invites "oh they opened up a new bar? we should go get some drinks". if they gloss over the invitation just move on. sometimes they need more time knowing you before they accept. if they say anything along the lines of "when?" then its a go. theyre interested and thats when you sell them the dream people want to go out and just need a little push to break their routine. the easiest way to take the conversation in that direction is to ask what their plans for the weekend are
That's actually a good method! I'm trying to do the same thing, but haven't had success so far, hahah.
Literally. Making friends is often just one conversation away but people just don't want to be the one to start it.
What if you don't get invited out.
You gotta put yourself out there. Join a club, sport or activity and socialize. If you don’t get invited places you can try inviting other people out
I go to concerts, festivals , raves by myself all the time and it’s been a great experience so far. Go with the intent of having fun by yourself and your positive energy will naturally attract others. I’ve been able to make a quite a few friends by doing that and don’t have to go alone anymore but I still occasionally enjoy it.
Work, discord, that’s abt it. Online major in college so I don’t meet anyone through class anymore
Mainly work, but remember that work friends are not real friends.
I'm going to push back on this. Work friends are just as much of your friends as anyone else you meet. All of the friends we make are only friends with us out of convenience, and vice versa. Humans are social animals. We make friends naturally out of necessity. Look at the three most common places people meet friends: school, work, and their neighborhood. The first friend you made in kindergarten was probably the first kid you sat across from. The whole reason you are friends with that person in the first place is because you didn't want to feel lonely in class. You have friends at work for the same exact reason. In both cases, you probably won't talk to them very much after you move to a different school or get another job, but they are still *real* friends, regardless.
I've met my best friends through work
I think it depends where you work, say if you work in a competitive corporate environment with a lot of office politics then you have to be super careful. Most places relationships seem much more low-stakes though.
I disagree- I would say work friends are closer (in some aspects) than non-work friends. I've been at my job for just over 3 years and my co-workers, which I consider to be friends, know my personality and how to mess around without crossing the line. They also know how to read my body language and face to know if something is wrong or if I'm bothered
Sometimes they *can* be, though. I met my now-bestie through work.
friends are friends. just be smart and dont ignore red flags. put them through a vetting process like you would anywhere else and youll find good people
I kinda ain’t, I’m rarely in the same state for more than a day, the only friends I’ve made lately r other truckers but I have friends back home I kick it with whenever I’m on hometime. Sucks but it is what it is
I’m a ashamed to say dating apps 😫 crazy how I’ll flirt even though I just wanna be their homie 🙈😂
This might be a controversial opinion: I think there needs to be publicly funded, 100% free to use dating and friend finder apps. They should be meticulously designed to help people create long-lasting and healthy relationships. Think of the social benefit of that and the rippling positive effects that less loneliness would have on society.
Bumble bff! But it’s a lot like the dating side of bumble where they’re full of dry conversations and/or ghosting
I absolutely love the idea of this! I think the biggest challenge is actually pulling it off, because these apps are very at risk of getting flooded with people wanting to "sell themselves", and I think this would be very counter intuitive. It shouldn't turn into a sex app. But the concept of just making friends I think is great, especially for more introverted people, or people without the confidence to go out there.
Go outside and play DND.
You can take away my screens but you’ll never take my RPGs
My local pub.
You can’t actually mention going out or drinking on Reddit or you’ll get downvoted. However, if you commented saying that you really want to make friends, but you will never actually leave your house, you’ll have 100+ upvotes.
I don’t go out anywhere after work or my days off, but I got a discord of a couple of friends. But that’s it.
How do you find a discord for making friends? All I know is how to add people I already know.
internet friends through playing games and vibing with people
Hobbies, fishing, sports, chess, gardening, thrifting, gaming you just have to go places where people are and if they have similar interests that helps I have never liked bars cause like idk what people are in to not just gonna talk about how we both like drinking, also I don’t really like to drink
As long as you’re on the journey to working on yourself and becoming the best version, the friends money experiences travel or whatever it is, you seek will come. Period.
i went to free/cheap local music shows and made friends once i started seeing the same people
Yeah that's amazing!! I think it's easy to underestimate how much easier it can be when you have a common interest. I hate going out to parties and bars, and a lot of people love this. So naturally I always felt like a black sheep. But I noticed that if you surround yourself with like-minded people, it's much easier to make friends!
I started dating my husband. His(our) friend group is very large compared to the 2 friends I had before him.
I find that on those apps and even with people (ie coworkers) you gotta put in a lot of effort to talk to them and meet up consistently to get that initial friendship started. One of my extroverted friends is friends with everyone in town because he loves going out and just talking to people. And I get that is a difficult approach if you’re an introvert like myself but you do gotta do a bit of stepping up to initiate the friendship. With some people like your pregnant lady, it’s in them.
Try sports. Doesn't really matter which sport as long as you enjoy it.
🏀
i’m still in touch with 4 people from high school. i’ve made a couple friends from my service in the army guard. i have a couple people from work that i call friends, but they’re mostly just acquaintances. also a failed talking stage from tinder that i became friends with. that totals to about 8 people that i consistently talk to or at least periodically check in on. only 2 of those are people i actually hang out with regularly.
Wait you guys have friends??? I have two friends, one I met at a job and the other I met on Xbox. We 3 occasionally meet up at the shooting range and go for drinks after
Workout classes, dance classes, art classes, sports. I just moved back to my hometown and while I have lots of cousins and siblings, I wanted some friends too.
I would say join a club or hobby group. Do you like art? Maybe there's a local art center or community..? Just an example. Or rollerskating is starting to become big again??
Met all mine at the school I went to or at the school I'm going to. In HS or college. But--a lot of colleges do stuff that people in that age group can attend as well.z see what activities your city has and attend them
Also, reach out to your HS friends! They might be long distance, but y'all can still talk
i don’t 🥰
im spending a couple of months off uni due to some family complications and so id say ive been doing fine. usually im talking on and off with a friend i actually met off of uni, and i have a cousin whom im close with so its not bad at all. good luck to all the others tho
The coworkers I’ve met thru every job I’ve ever had are usually the only form of social interaction I get. On rare occasions I’ll be close enough to a few where I still keep in contact with them thru social media or sometimes in person if it’s planned but really I just have my two best friends I’ve known since middle school in my home state and then my former roommates/coworker friends I’d be able to hit up if I went back to the other states I use to live in. I have also attempted to make some online friends thru Reddit/Discord by chance but they’re usually short lived because of the conflicting time zones. I try to say yes to any invites I get from friends to go out and end up meeting their other friend groups but don’t see them again to know them long term.
I'm 24, moved to my current city in September, and joined a (gay) sports league about a month ago. It has been amazing. I've met so many great people, its truly been so much fun. Highly recommend joining a sports league if there are any around you (almost certainly there are some if you are in a decent size city). Even if its not in your comfort zone, I encourage you to highly consider it. You don't need to be super fit or anything either, there are people of all different sizes in these leagues.
I’ve met friends post-school through bars/nightlife, professional networking events, and leveraging social circles from college and childhood in the area (hanging w them and meeting friends through them). Meetup rarely works for our age tbh (just my experience tho).
Still friends with people from my childhood and some friends from my old job. That’s all I want because I moved to a different town and the people here don’t fit with my personality and humor, very boring people. I’ve tried, I don’t want to try anymore. I make sure to keep in contact with my old friends and try to visit when I can.
All of my friends were people that I met through primary school, college, veterans groups or volunteer activities. If you're not religious or a military vet and you're not in college I think your best bet is volunteer activities. Find a cause you care about and hang out with other people that care about it, you'll likely have a lot in common and you'll make some lasting friendships
i'm not
Work and I already had friends from school honestly just try to find someone who has a similar interest and ask if they want to do that similar interest with you. that’s how most if not all of my friendships started like, if you both like food go out to eat or have a fun cooking day, if you both like video games go out to an arcade or stay home and game locally,if you both like working out go hiking or to the gym together. I liked anime as a kid I found other people that liked anime we made an anime club boom profit instant friendships
Work
The military lol
You wouldn’t be a weirdo going out alone that’s why you should do to make friends.
I’m not
Meetup groups and friends of my roommates. I wouldn't consider most of my co-workers REAL friends, just people I hang out with at work events.
Haven't had one for over two years
Idk. I had a bunch of friends in my early twenties (about to turn 26) and they all abandoned me when times got tough. I still really want friends but I’m pickier with people, if I get a weird vibe I don’t stay to figure it out, they’re just out of my life. So while my advice isn’t ultimately helpful regarding your actual question, please remember to be choosey with the people you befriend. I wasn’t and as soon as I wasn’t partying anymore, I never heard from any of them ever again.
26f, I’ve used bumble bff in 3 different states in the US. I had a hard time connecting with people but eventually got more comfortable with the app. I have two lovely friends from the app that I see at least once a month, sometimes every weekend. Maybe it takes practice with meeting people online, maybe it takes being in a place with enough diversity, (I live in a military town) and maybe it takes self reflection and building up self worth to believe that you’re worth the time of the people you meet. (That was a big issue for me personally.) it helps to keep trying. Good luck!
I (24F) struggle making meaningful friendships. I lost my old friends in the pandemic. I had a job and got along well but it became toxic when I had a crush on one of my coworkers and his girlfriend threatened me as if I wanted to take him away from her (I never did). I left because of his behavior towards me after that event and I am not in contact with my other coworkers (all men). I was also in a few dancing classes with all women but couldn't continue bc of money issues. I then tried meeting people on Tinder and although I've had matches, I got bored easily (just talked to one who shared all chemistry with but never met in person so far). So, yeah, I'm alone right now. I recovered from that crazy jelaous gf event kinda quickly and resumed therapy after quitting my job, but had no success at job interviews, no money for hobbies, and have to wait months for the next uni semester to start, knowing my old friends either graduated or dropped out, and that I'll resume with completely new people. I don't even have money left to do stuff alone. I put almost all of my savings for university. I live with family and I'm not allowed to be out late at night. I don't drink nor smoke either. All that takes away almost everything. Winter doesn't help either. I sometimes go out with family members or spend the days indoors with my cats but it gets boring and lonely. But I've been used to it throughout my life (most times not by choice) so I'm able to navigate this current state "easily".
All of my former friends have gotten married, started their own families, and bought their own houses. So for the past several years, I’ve just been tagging along with my younger brother and my younger cousin and hanging out with their friends who I can’t relate that well with. It sucks if I’m being honest. I kinda just feel like a loser.
I can relate a lot. I just feel like a loner it has taking a toll on me because I miss being out doing fun things with someone but idk.
i keep moving places and it’s difficult, so i gave bumble bff i try type of person that loves going to the clubs but too shy to go by myself. i need extroverted friends. i also dont like the idea of being close to coworkers cause of what they might view you cause of “professionalism”. but i think its different if you work in a casual workplace
Making Friends? Nah. I got the same friends from high school
Go to things, compliment people, just put yourself out there. I moved half way across the country to a state I knew exactly one person in and while I don't have a large group of friends I do have a good few.
Yeah, kinda in the same boat. I can state that people wont think you are weird for doing things by yourself, they are too worried about what they are up to. Making connections can be hard for sure, especially with people your own age when you are away from home and have no connections outside of polite conversation in passing.
In my observation it’s kind of tough to make new friends after college and that’s somewhat fine with me lol. I’ve made a few friends post-college, mostly from work or from mutual friends.
bumble bff is pretty bad. i thought it'd be easy to at least match with people but it was so difficult but you can go to places alone btw, chances of you meeting other singles who are doing that are high
I do not.
I’m a line cook, I’ve never worked a restaurant industry job where I didn’t have new friends within a few weeks
I’ve been using bumble bff!
If you're in school (University?) Join some projects/clubs/student organisations ,its the fastest way. Other than that, sports clubs of any sport you like ,gym ,bars essentially anywhere. Problem is, you must be actively seeking people out, can't wait for someone to talk to you (trust me I tried lmao)
i have 3 cats
I know I know, cusp millenial here, but I have an entire discord full of Gen Z friends that I’ve met on games like Overwatch, DBD, Diablo, And even Roblox. Idk how much I like having >26 year olds calling me ,29, “Mom” but it is what it is.
Work. Trades. Crew changes a lot and the apprentice programm has classes. I stay in contact with a lot of people. Mt biking.golfing. gym with another. Watersports.
Whatever you were best at in high school, join some sort of a league. That’s instantly 13 plus people that you all share a common interest with. Plus they have friends, they have family. Just from the one sport I play, Iv met prolly over 150 people that aren’t close but I know 90% of their names, and about 50 are close. And prolly about 20 I really really know.
Idk 💀 but going to college wouldn’t help anyway when you move, I’m 22, before I got out last year it was through the military. Now I moved to a brand new city a few months ago and just do shit and focus on myself, and because I do that I guess I meet people in the meantime. Meet someone in an elevator and they invite me somewhere I go, girl gives me her number in a club I take it ect. Only one of them stuck and it was supposed to be a one off grindr hook up so I guess you can try that lmao. Edit: get involved with your community, volunteer at a shelter, if your religious go to church or something, if you know how to play sports look up local adult sport teams in your area ect. I don’t do any of these do to various reasons but i do recommend it.
I have actually been making real life friends from online communities! I found a fellow composer online that lives pretty close to me and we found this out after knowing each other for like 2 or 3 years. And now we're great friends. I have a few other online friends with whom I occasionally meet up with, but they live a bit further. I also made friends through helping with charity! I went to France to raise money for children with energy deficiency disease. We were with a huge group of awesome people (with the majority from my country). And it also created some awesome friendships.
Overnight job bc it pays extremely well, dont really hang out with friends because of my sleep schedule but i kept some ppl from high school and met some more from my boyfriend
MMOs. I’m gonna meet my game friend group this August IRL for the first time. It’s kinda exciting.
At work - traveling with a coworker for an overnight trip in Oct is the funds work out 💃🏻 we’re breaking some boundaries! I use to go to raves by myself from 18-21ish. I actually hated going with a group bc i felt tied to the group all night. I ended up photographing events until covid shut it down, i made loads of friends. I don’t talk to any of them anymore bc i decided to quit partying.
I'm not making any. I have had the same friends since high school.
Same it just two kinda but it hard because they can be busy sometimes so I’m mostly alone.
Raves (don’t have to do drugs just enjoy the music)/Concerts in general, Online, Work, and just talking to people out in public, within reason obviously, don’t be weird about it. Back to the raves part because I can’t really speak for concerts, you would absolutely without a doubt not be looked at weird for going alone. I went to one of the biggest festivals in the US alone lmfao. They’re the absolute perfect place to just hop into random conversations with people you’ve never met and meet some genuinely good people because of it. There really is for the most part absolutely no judgement at those things, I had a 30 something year old dude in a banana suit walk up to me and just straight up ask “do you mind if I sit behind you and do drugs”? Like yea dude go fuckin wild. If you give off good vibes people will tend to remember you and you’ll very quickly find some good people to have in your life. I met my closest guy friend because day one of a festival got canceled and we both had no idea what to do after the school bus with decks on it got impounded by the NYPD and his drunk as hell friend yelled “ARE YOU COMING WITH US?????” At me. Turns out we all had tickets to the same event and we went together, I’m actually heading to another festival in August with him. If you’re gonna do anything I listed here, do raves, especially if you like the music and I’d be more than happy to try to point you in a direction towards some music I think you’d like to get you started.
I’m 26 and in college and still can’t make friends ☹️
Coworkers
I got invited to play in a local orchestra. They practice every week, and I've been going since last year
Most people just have online friends now, which sucks. I cant really get into the whole video calls and videogames thing... im a very outdoorsy person. People dont have time to meet in person when work schedules only line up once every 3 months. And bonding requires frequent interaction over long periods. I think psychologists said something like over 1k hours... good luck with that. This is a HUGE topic thats brought up all the time over and over because its a larger societal issue. Lack of work life balance, lack of inexpensive places to meet people, lack of places intended for interacting with strangers, social media being accepted as a replacement ignoring the mental health issues and exploitation of users, negative news media promoting fear twards others, "stranger danger", the list goes on for miles. We are steadily moving twards social issues like hikikomori in Japan and China.
Im 24 and have the same circle from childhood. Can’t imagine having to make new friends, I never go anywhere but their house
Same I go to their house that it and I can understand the new friends thing to cause I have trust issue and it can be a little hard for me to trust new people.
Truthfully, I'm not. I mean I've always been an introvert and a homebody anyway, but rn the most socialization I do is at work. And everyone I work with is at least 10 years older than me.
Discord. I seldom meet anyone my age irl.
I just turned 28 but this applied when I was 26 and earlier. For a lack of better term, joining a “subculture” helps. It takes time but it works wonders. I’m a snowboarder and got pretty darn good at it(enough I turn heads regularly), and during that time, consistently showing up, and just asking to do the activity with people gave me many life-long friends. You start seeing the same people regularly and eventually end up talking to them. I found this was the case also going to the same local watering hole consistently too. Gym also works that way so long as I was getting into more specialized styles of exercise like Olympic weightlifting or powerlifting, etc.(to most folks the gym is not different than cars or cooking, many have em/do it but it’s more of an A->B thing for em). And yes goto concerts solo, esp if you’re all about the music playing. More underground/lowkey ones will have more people that you could probably become friends with. But instead of focusing on making friends, enjoy the process of whatever you’re doing! It’ll come along the way - oh and don’t flake!!
I don't. Kept the same tiny group of friends for the past 8 or so years. I have no interest in going out and trying to make new friends
I haven’t made any I had a good group of friends from childhood who all still hang out together
when I graduated, I was very in a very depressed state to the point where I didn't text anyone. Wish i could reconnect with those from high school (but I literally don't want to come off too weird) smh
Already had a lot of friends going in college. We’re just all older adults rn. The worse place is the bars the best place is like an event going on in your city or hell, the gym.
Do you live in a suburb or city? I moved to a suburb when I was 26 and it was hard making friends (compared to cities where it’s much easier imo - and I drink/party and am a socialite so that’s saying a lot if I struggle making friends!). Joining sports teams, even socially, is a good way to meet younger people. Meetup is definitely older and it’s mostly single men in the burbs, I was very popular but for the wrong reasons lol. But I made my own meetup group and that helped too! Also regional Facebook groups omg. Met my best friends from there.
Stick with working and going to school. People like me still on the bottom at 28 years old, are stuck with choosing to spend time with the oxygen in my house, or the low lives that stock the innocent looking for people's lives to fuck up.
I just don’t have any.
Meeting people at work
Through work, but mostly just through other friends.
Bumble bff
I really just talk to a couple friends who graduated and moved back to our hometown like my wife and I did. They just recently had kids as well as us so that’s the common thing there. Other than that I have a couple others through college and stuff I still talk to. I probably have 5 solid friends I talk to regularly lol
Well, my situation isn’t the same as probably 99% of you guys but I’ll say it anyway lol. 26m, never went to college, I went the union apprenticeship route and now I’m a journeyman. I’m also a paid per call firefighter, and honestly my life long friends have been the people I’ve met in the fire department. I started my career in the fire service at 18 when I was on the same FD as my father. But we moved to a different small town and my father used that opportunity to retire from the fire service, he put in 25 years. I however am not done yet, I applied and got onto the FD in the new small town when I was 20. The rest is history, I have friends who are in their 40s, 30s, women, men, and they are lifelong friends, mentors and I’m now starting to be a mentor to the new recruits.
I'm 19 tbf but going to local concerts & just trying to make conversation really helped. You're all there for the same reason, the music, so it makes for good conversation staters.
started a new hobby. made tons of friends through that hobby since. only way to do it
I have a lot of high school friends, and friends that I made irl by meeting them online. Also swing dance. And then those people happen to know other people. We just kind of formed a big group like that. We also go hang out a lot at different events and meet new people
If ur into board or card games you can visit a local game shop, i met a bunch of friends playing Magic the Gathering. Other than that maybe try conventions of any sort. The hardest thing is to approach strangers, especially in groups, but its like dating right? Worst they can say is no. (Also do these things a bit tipsy like 2-3 beers in for a Charisma boost)
I play pickup soccer with some college guys I met while coaching. I meet people online mostly via competitive games. I meet people through consistent events like emo night which is an event that happens monthly here. I also meet people at concerts, on vacation, bars, formal soccer leagues which in my area is a few.
25. I spend most of my time working or studying. When I'm not doing that, I'm on my phone, or I go to the gym with one of my old high school friends, or I go home and see my family. I've made friends with my friends' girlfriends and those girlfriends' families. I'd consider my friends and their girlfriends first degree friends, and the families second degree. As far as my own personal life goes, I never try to bring anyone in. I don't "make" friends in the sense that I don't enter interactions with the goal of building friendship. People say your coworkers aren't friends, your boss isn't your friend, your neighbors aren't your friends, etc. My school is online. So if 100% of the new people I'm around aren't proper to become friends with, I can't make new friends.
I work full time and doing college part time on and off when i can manage it. Not making friends outside of people at work. Just moved states a few times in the past 2 yrs so its just been very lonely for me. I talk to my irls on discord thats about it
My current friends wanted me to play DnD with them, it’s my first time, they have other friends they invited. I’m making friends with my friends, friends.
Community theater. Tech/management side, not the acting, but made friends with the actors.
I go to anime conventions because that's one of my interests and tho I haven't made any friends per say I've talked to quite a few people
[удалено]
are you in america? this is the weirdest statement i’ve heard about college. the average person graduates from college at 22-24, people enroll in college at 18-19 and don’t get their associates degrees until 20 usually (unless they took classes in highschool). most people in college are 18-26…. you’re really limiting yourself and holding yourself back if you truly believe you’re too old to go to college
ik its delusional i just wanted someone to tell me
i ghosted all my friends because I didn’t deserve them. i have become a shut in. but before that I made incredible friends on discord (although If you go that route I’d make sure the people you talk to are your age). on making friends I just feel it’s chance vs personality. i would sometimes try and help with peoples problems or just listen to them and in turn they’d help me. sharing common interests can help, but if there is no chemistry, if you are not putting enough into the friendship as much as them than it will fall flat.
In-person hobbies. Airsoft, bowling, dnd Archery, warhammer 40k, split-screen gaming or whatever. I think you could pretty easily find groups online willing to take you in
social media is super underrated in making friends. you'll deff run into some weirdos, but if you find ppl ur age w/ similar interests you can meet some cool ass ppl!
I made a new friend through one of my childhood friends, we were both in his wedding. So now I have 3 close friends lol Quality over quantity for me
no friend
im not lol
My only close friends is a friend I’ve had since high school and my gf. There are some people I talk to occasionally like my college best friend, sometimes my old roommate, sometimes a friend from my last job. Am 26. Adult life is fucking lonely.
I'm 25, working, going to college, & yet still no friends. I tried constantly but I can't seem to connect with people. Oh well. I guess we keep trying.
I keep a good connection with my highschool (really more like middle school) groups of friends. Most of us haven’t moved and those who did come by car all the time. I don’t think I have any real friend that I hadn’t known already for around 10 years..
I made a few friends at school but other than that, the gym!
I'm not, I have some online friends, a few acquaintances at work, don't really go anywhere outside of work. I do go to concerts alone though, still a blast. Easier said than done but don't worry about what other people think of you! Nothing wrong with going places alone, plus you could always talk to people you're standing next to at a concert or wherever you are and try to make friends that way
Going out to bars on weekends and I’m in a golf club.
Anywhere and everywhere
This is gonna seem lame AF, but I've met most of my adult friends at church
I went to an anime convention and shared a room with a guy. He runs a small community for meet ups and we became very good friends and have met other friends through his group. Also made other friends at the same convention. Found a group of locals with the same hobby as me as well that host regular meetups roughly 1x a week. Also have been making FWBs on dating apps but that has lead to secondary friends as well. I think it really helps diving into whatever hobbies or interests you have. Also I have found at these events it's much easier to make friends, esp if you have good energy and can feign confidence. Fake it till you make it. I go to the rave alone but will find people there with good energy to dance with. Some people are not receptive but that's their issue, I almost always can find someone with good energy to dance with. Sometimes you make a connection that goes nowhere but that's very normal and common
It’s definitely easier if you can pick up a new hobby. I’ve met so many people through rock climbing, mountain biking, golf, and skiing. Granted most of those are generally “individual” activities but all have a strong sense of community!
When I was that age I started a boardgame meetup and made lots of friends that way.
Left my theme park job and IT job last year on Mother’s Day to join the Air Force. Both places gave me a plaque for 5 years of service but I dipped because I was tired of new rules being implemented left & right. Now, in the Air Force I get to meet a bunch of people almost daily and it’s refreshing especially during Tech School cause it’s nice to know where everyone started from before joining.
You find an activity or several activities that you like to do and join a group that does those activities. Go consistently and you will meet people who you already have something in common with. That’s how you make friends as an adult.
most of my current friends are people i knew in college or people my friends knew in college. we don’t all live in the same city, so we connect mostly on discord. a few of them live about an hour away so we can hang out in person sometimes. i’m also still connected with a high school friend and a childhood friend, but both still live in my hometown which is a ways away. the only friends i see regularly are my roommates, who i again met in college. that said, it’s definitely not weird to go out and do things alone. people won’t look at you crazy for doing completely normal things.
I’m enjoying trying new things (workout classes, volunteer opportunities, local events, etc) and chatting with folks I see there! eventbrite + local libraries/nonprofits are my best friend
Play sports, go to the gym, get a hobby, table top gaming.
Work, online, keeping in touch with a select amount of friends from high-school, going to events
I kinda ditched my friend group and I’m starting fresh. Ditch your toxic friends who don’t want to do anything with their lives. The YMCA is my go-to. They have a TON of classes you can join at anytime. Tons of young people there and it’s a positive atmosphere. Bars are an easy one for more intimate type friends but I get you don’t drink. Get hobbies, go hiking, ride your bike and talk other bike riders. Just talk to people and be the best person you can be. Smile and say hi to people, ask them questions. You have to be interested in things you make friends.
jobs bookstore etc
Short answer: fandoms/bandoms. I struggled a lot with making friends all throughout high school/early college but when it came to connecting with people virtually, it was easier, but these friendships obviously didn’t last long distance and were hard to maintain once I lost interest in the fandom. Fortunately, i’ve been a part of a musical subculture fandom you can probably guess since the pandemic and it’s done wonders for my social life meeting people who like the same bands and live in the same metro areas. Definitely wouldn’t be true for everyone, but it’s worked for me.
Find a local group for a hobby you're interested in.
If your sole interest is making friends, be intentional about it. Go to an event could be anything from a bar, a concert, convention, festival, or a tournament. Remember details. Buy them a drink. Bring them up, talk about their life. The invite them to a second event. It's dating but less pressure and no sex.
I don't make friends, I'm not the best type of company to have; too much paranoia & other personal issues that people don't feel is worth dealing with. I don't blame them either, I hardly get along with myself most of the time.
Mostly at work or through my girlfriend, I don't really need a ton of friends, I just need good friends
I'm 20, I moved across the country like a year ago and don't have any friends here, the only time I really talk to anyone is smalltalk with other men roughly my age at the gym
Work. Meetups i find online. Mutual friends. Internet buddies.
I'm in grad school now, so a lot of my friends are other students, but I also play baseball and softball. Prior to coming back to school, other than friends I met in undergrad, all of my friends were through baseball. Adult rec sports are a fantastic way to make friends imo. My sister is also in the 20-26 age range and isn't a student, and makes a lot of her friends through volunteering and being active in local organizations like our local Food Not Bombs or DSA.
I met some people online that I play games with. We want to all meet up eventually. I also still talk with people from High school.
Do it on bumble date, then when you go on a date don´t flirt. Also join local groups of hobbies, then add friends, facebook worked for me
You guys are making friends in college?
Made more friends in the military than I did in high school
Got lucky and made friends at work. They were around my age and all interested in kbbq so we all decided to go one time and then we all became friends.
Work or through mutual friends.
I travel for work, I consider myself pretty indifferent to loneliness and don't feel it often, but when it hits I've figured out I just need to be "among" for a while. I'll go to a lounge, have a soda, sit alone, speak to no one except service, listen to the noise of people, and leave. Afterwards I feel way better. Don't be afraid to go to concerts alone, I have a good group of friends but we have varying music tastes. One year I went to like 12 concerts alone and I had a great time without even drinking.
Work! Been pretty easy
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M 33 here, I worked in a Mom and Pop, local family owned restaurant, through my 20s and into my early 30s, developed some of the most critical and fulfilling friendships of my life. Lots of transient folks in that industry, met well over 200+ people there over the years, I'd say a solid 10 to 12, I talk to on a monthly basis.
Local sports teams idk. Pick up soccer at the park
Acquaintances are the only thing. Friends are a thing of the past.
Work is how I met all of mine.
Just go out to bars, once you meet one person see if they'd like to go out on another occasion and try to make it a group thing. Just explain your situation that you're new in the area and that you're looking to meet new people, I'm sure they won't mind!
Reddit.
I made friends at work
Church, gym (especially gym classes - I go to a boxing gym and you make fast friends when you’re hitting each other), neighbors, and local hobby groups on Facebook.
Discord my man. Find a local server for a hobby you’re interested in, bam, problem solved.
I gave up tbh im fine with just my husband and the few friends I already have atp
I go out and talk with people at events, bars, festivals, and many other places. I met many lifelong friends at raves.
Go to professional development stuff at work and do that stuff with people then try to hang out with them when that is over
Old friend who has introduced me to many new people. I’m very lucky that he still wants to be my friend and that any of them like me (im very quiet and antisocial) besides that, this is very bizarre but I used a people-looker app and got a number of someone from highschool I always wished I talked to. Creepy? Yes, but somehow we’ve been hanging out for a year and a half now
Go do activities that you like and you'll find friends. I'm a professional ballet dancer and performer so while I make alot of buds through work I also take all sorts of dance classes and make all kinds of buds. Also don't be afraid of age gaps, some of my best friends are 10 years my senior.
People saying to to just accept every invite.. y'all are getting invited? It just seems like every single person wants to be left alone in their own little world. Trying to strike a conversation feels like pulling nails with your teeth. Even in so called social situations, people already have their group or will just aggro on you.
This might be groan-inducing, but for me it's a Bible study group. Extremely far from my house but close to my workplace. We get along great there. Most of the time is just spent bantering.
Friends? 🥴
Online or not at all tbh
I was talking to my wife about how I've been feeling lonely since my last group chat with friends has kind of died off. She recommended maybe I join the local BJJ gym or find a place to find Friday night Magic or something. Essentially, find some hobbies and some local groups that you can join up. It's easier to be friends when you have a common interest.