Making friends as an adult is difficult, especially making new friends as an adult in a new city. It seems nearly impossible, like where do you even start? Back in the day, in highscool or college, it was easier to make friends because you were surrounded by peers. Now, in the real adult world, finding like-minded peers can be hard to do. Luckily, you CAN make friends as an adult if you know where to look and are willing to put yourself out there.  Here are 5 ways on how to make friends as an adult.

1. Reach Out On Social Media

Social media is a great tool for making friends…especially Instagram. Try searching for local hashtags to find like-minded people. For example, if you love thrifting and live in Los Angeles, search for [underline]#LosAngelesThrifter[/underline] or [underline]#LAThrift[/underline]. Send a message to the accounts that you relate to. Let them know that you love their account and that you share similar interests and would love to get together – maybe at a local thrift store. This is how I have made most of my friends as an adult.

2. Download a Friendship App

We have all heard of dating apps, but did you know there are friendships apps, such as [underline]BumbleBFF[/underline] or [underline]Friender[/underline]? These apps allow you to connect with like-minded individuals who will hopefully one day turn into your BFF. 

3. Attend Local Meet Ups and Events

[underline]Meetup.com[/underline] and [underline]Eventbrite.com[/underline] are websites where you can discover local events. Attending events, especially events specific to your personal interests, is a great way to meet like-minded people. TIP: If you go to the event alone, try striking up a conversation with someone else who looks like they are also alone. You can automatically bond over being solo.

4. Sign up for a reoccurring class or volunteer opportunity

Make a reoccurring commitment to group activities. Whether it’s a workout class, volunteer opportunity, a church group, etc. Showing up consistently around a group of people is a great way to make friends. According to social psychology, there is a concept called the mere-exposure effect, which means the more you are exposed to someone or something the more likely you are to like that person or thing. So if you show up consistently, people are more likely to like you and more likely to befriend you.

5. Keep in contact

Meeting new people is half the battle. The other half is making an effort to maintain those friendships. You can do this by sending weekly or monthly texts to check in on your new friend. Ask them how they’ve been and/or make plans to get together. If you found your new friend through social media, make an effort to like their posts and/or comment on their photos. This shows that you actually care about the person.

6. Ask questions

People generally like talking about themselves, so ask questions that you are genuinely interested in knowing the answer to. Don’t pry, of course, but ask questions to encourage conversation. For example, you can ask what the person’s interests are, what they do for a living, how long have they lived in the area, what they like to do for fun, etc.

7. Have a shared experience

For your first few in-person meetups with a new friend, choose an activity to do together rather than just going to lunch or grabbing coffee. It is easier to bond and way less pressure if you are doing an activity together versus just sitting down and talking. Some good examples of friend-date activities are thrifting, hiking, painting, bike-riding, visiting a museum, etc.

What are your tips for making friends as an adult?

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