The Importance of Making Friends and Where To Find Them

It might not surprise you to hear that having friends is great for your mental health. If you’re going through a rough time and need somebody to talk to, a friend can greatly support you. Longevity Live Paid Content. 

Sometimes, it’s possible to lose touch with our friends. For example, when you move abroad or head down another road than your friends. Interests may start to differ, and the connection you felt once before is gone. Letting go of some friends for these reasons is normal and happens to almost everybody at least once. However, there are many ways to make new friends that share your interests. In this article, you’ll read how to make new friendships and where to find new friends.

A Guide To Making New Friendships

Find friends on the internet

In today’s digital age, the internet is the best place to turn to when looking for new friends. Social media platforms have made it possible to meet new people online. Since the Internet reaches worldwide, it is exciting when you’re trying to meet people from abroad. Forging new friendships with people from another culture is a great way to broaden your horizons and perhaps learn a new language or find a new place to travel to. Not sure how to find people online? Here are some ideas.

Try out online video chat programs

A great way to find new online friends is to try out a video chat program. There are certain websites that offer random video chatting services with people from all over the world. Sometimes, the main goal of these programs is to meet a new potential partner, but they are also great for having a one-time conversation or making new friendships online.

Most of these programs let you chat anonymously. In this way, you don’t have to share any personal information before you feel comfortable doing so. This keeps making new friends online very safe. Start chatting today, and you’ll have a new group of interesting friends before you know it. 

Join online groups that reflect your interest

Making a connection with someone is much easier when you have the same interest. Therefore, joining an online group is a great way to find people from all over the world who share similar interests. For example, there are Facebook groups and online chat groups filled with travelers who are looking for a travel buddy or want to share their stories with like-minded people. 

You can find groups of travelers who love certain countries and continents or even people who are on permanent trips worldwide. If you love handcrafts, many groups focus on knitting, crocheting, and other crafty activities. You could also join a group talking about certain sports, such as hiking, biking, or running groups.

Use an app to find a friend near you

If your goal isn’t to find an online friend from abroad but rather to find someone to meet up with, then try an app for finding friends near you. The people on these kinds of apps are looking for friends, just like you are, and therefore, it will be much easier to start a conversation. Using an app to find new friends nearby also works great if you’ve just moved to another city or country. 

Many apps are available worldwide and have had great success in enabling people to find someone to hang out with. On the app, you can fill in information such as your hobbies, the languages you speak, and what you are looking for in a friendship. Usually, you can select the people you would like to hang out with and start a conversation to try out the waters before you meet up in real life. You’ll chat with a new, interesting person before you know it.

Liderina/Shutterstock

Join activities in your area 

If you have a particular interest you would like to share with your new friend, going to activities where like-minded people will be is a great place to start looking. Scour online agendas and meet-up apps in your area to find activities you would like to participate in. This is often easier in bigger cities than in smaller ones, but it’s a good opportunity to find someone with similar interests. 

Think about joining a cooking course, pottery class, or a language exchange program. Not only will this be a great way to make new friends, but it will also be a good opportunity to relax, unwind, and immerse yourself in something you would like to do. Maybe one day, you’ll go to that great art class with one of the new friends you made during the same activity. 

Who is the author?

Eliza Mallory

Eliza Mallory is a captivating wordsmith who likes to unite cultures through her insightful articles. Raised in a mountain village in the countryside, she developed an interest in diverse stories.

With a Comparative Literature degree, Eliza is passionate about exploring how love transcends cultures and how unexpected human bonds are created.