PsychCentral reports that friendship is crucial to a person's overall happiness. Having good friends may help you to eat healthily, stay out of poverty and live with less stress. If you are new in town or have had trouble in the past making friends, now is the time to look for a new group of people with whom you can become friendly. All relationships take time to grow, so be ready to invest the time and effort necessary to join a new group of friends.
Step 1
Join groups that center around one of your interests. This will bring you into regular contact with those with whom you have something in common, which may make it easier to build lasting friendships, explains TeenGrowth.com.
Step 2
Join in. The Children, Youth and Women's Health Service recommends involving yourself in whatever the group is doing, provided it's nothing that you are morally opposed to, or something that you are not able to do. If such a situation comes up, feel free to ask if the group members would be open to changing their plans, and offer a suggestion about what you might like to do instead.
Step 3
Practice good conversational etiquette. Ask questions of the people in the group and also share certain things about yourself. The Children, Youth and Women's Health Service cautions against sharing too much personal information in the beginning of a friendship. Rather, keep the conversation to non-invasive small talk at first.
Step 4
Invite your new friends out individually or in smaller groups. When you befriend a group of people, you may have a stronger connection with one or two members of the crowd. Nurture these friendships, but don't ignore your other new friends.
Tips and Warnings
- Treat your friends the way that you would like to be treated. Avoid gossiping about other members of the group or people in other groups. Try not to get dragged into disagreements or squabbles that take place within your group of friends.
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