Making friends can be easy if you have the right mindset. People usually love people who are friendly and fun, so bringing out these aspects of your personality so others can see them is important. With a little strategy, you will make new friends in no time!
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Emphasize Your Personality
Step 1. Be yourself
Don't be afraid to express your opinions. If someone insults you, ignore them. The jealous people who hate you will be outnumbered by those who love you for who you are. Invest in your strengths.
- If you are shy or reserved, play the mysterious side. Be friendly and open to people, but don't be an open book. If others are interested in knowing what turns you on, they will approach to find out.
- If you are an athlete, use your athletic skills to increase your confidence. But don't brag. Anyone who excels in sports but is still humble receives a lot of attention. Be that person. Don't be the classic bully who takes it out on nerds because he's chronically insecure.
- If you're a nerd, focus on becoming more approachable. One of the least pleasant things you can do if you're really smart is make others feel unwanted, even if they're smart. Try to relate to others, but be careful as they may be looking for excuses not to trust you if they are jealous. Talk about geek stuff with other geeks.
Step 2. Start developing social skills
Not everyone is born with great social skills, but they can definitely be developed. With the right training and exposure, you can really change your confidence and the impression you give to others quickly.
- Be patient. Talking to strangers is never easy. But the more you do it, the easier it gets. Give the conversations time to develop. Be around people and conversations will arise by themselves.
- Look for eye contact. This is very important, as the eyes communicate a lot and when you avoid someone's gaze they may think that you are lying or are not interested.
- Forgive. Your friends and classmates are human, so they make mistakes. Don't blame them for anything. Forgive a friend who apologizes to you.
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Be faithful. Little things matter. If you have an appointment, be on time. If you are in a group, arrive early and stay late (even if you have nothing to say at the moment).
- Be on the side of your friends. If one of them ends up in a fight, try to separate them and calm them down. Don't let someone get away with saying bad or stupid things about one of your friends.
- Don't gossip. Gossip is like a boomerang: first, then they hit you. Don't get a reputation as a gossip. Try to say only things that you could easily say to the face of those directly concerned.
Step 3. Be optimistic
Even if you are down in the dumps, remember that there is always a reason to smile. A positive attitude will make people love being around you. Be careful though. At a certain point, optimism becomes annoying. Don't be "too" optimistic.
- Focus on the positive rather than the negative. There is always a positive and a negative side to things. Look at the glass half full. A breakup is an opportunity to meet new people; a check that went wrong is an opportunity to learn something new; a fool is an opportunity to learn to be better with others.
- Be confident that things will turn out for the best. Some believe in Karma, others believe that good things happen to good people. Whatever you are convinced of, it is good to believe that you will be rewarded for the way you behave.
- Focus on what you can change and forget the rest. You can't change who loves you or who thinks you're funny, but you can change the way you interact with them. Don't try to move mountains, concentrate on bending the branches.
Step 4. Beloved Ones
It's hard to please others when you first don't appreciate yourself for who you are. Try to practice improving your self-esteem. Begin your journey to "discover yourself".
- Make a list of things you would like to do during the week, and check off the ones you finish. At the end of the week, you will be happy with what you have done.
- Find a reason to laugh. Watch that hilarious movie you love again; go out with a super funny friend who makes you laugh; whatever you do, laugh, because it will make you feel happier. Whenever you do something wrong in front of others, laugh it off, not only will it make you feel less criticism, it will make you more popular.
- Open up. Be open to everyone, as when you ignore someone it will be difficult for you to interact with others and over time you may begin to ignore everyone.
- Pamper yourself. It's easy to get overwhelmed by the frenzy of the world every now and then. But it's always good to take a step back and realize that the little things matter. Don't be afraid to pamper yourself.
- Don't get too down on yourself when you make mistakes. Mistakes are inevitable. Don't be angry or frustrated when you're wrong; take it as an opportunity to improve at something.
Method 2 of 3: Make Others Notice You
Step 1. Take care of your appearance
Your appearance isn't the key to pleasing others, but it helps. Make sure you use open and helpful body language. Be unique, be yourself.
- Brush regularly, wear good perfume, and brush your teeth. Shower every day (wash your hair every other day). Use a scented deodorant or perfume if you are a girl. Brush your teeth at least twice a day and floss once a day.
- Smile as much as you can! Signs of encouragement let people know that you care about what they say. Smiling is a way to let others know that you are happy, and people love to be around happy people.
- Pay attention to your body language. Arms folded, stomping feet, rolling eyes, and sighing are all signs of boredom, exasperation, and annoyance. Make sure you are sending people the right messages with your body.
Step 2. Start small if you are reserved
For example, when you go to school, work or a party, say hello to someone and have a chat. Focus on simpler social actions before moving on to complex ones; in this way your success will motivate you more and more.
- Say hello to those who don't talk much. Share something with them, such as where you are going or why you are there. Be friendly. Avoid talking about the weather - as Tom Waits says, “Strangers talk about the weather.” Ask him something to get to know them if you don't know what to say.
- Listen more than talk. Instead of nodding and smiling and occasionally wiping the trickle of saliva on your face, try to actively listen to what the other person is saying. Make comments, but don't monopolize the conversation. Remember this is a two-way street.
- Don't expect perfection from anyone, least of all from yourself. For example, if you forget your name as you introduce yourself (which probably won't happen), just laugh it off. Everyone makes a fool of themselves every now and then; it's how you recover that makes you adorable or weird.
- Share interests / funny ideas. Your thoughts can open many doors to friendship. You never know if what you are about to say will make you think, laugh, or put you in another light.
Step 3. Make friends with different people
People who are considered popular are not necessarily the top of the pack, but they certainly know how to relate to others and feel good about them. It is never too late to feel that being popular is important.
- Talk to people older than you, even your own parents. If you respect them, those older than you will respect you. They won't ridicule you, they won't make you feel inferior, and they won't make fun of you. Having a grip on who is older than you can help you be more comfortable when it comes time to talk to your peers.
- Make friends with the younger ones if you are in middle school. Going out with guys a couple of years younger than you can help you raise your self-esteem, and this will come in handy when you are among your peers. True, nobody wants to go out with their 10-year-old neighbor. But it's easier to talk to them, and your self-esteem will take off.
- Organize an event with friends. Based on your age, organize something with your friends and invite other people. Maybe a football match, a pool party or an after-work drink. Look for new people to involve!
Step 4. Be nice to others
Compliment, but don't overdo it. If you're shy, take a deep breath and dive in - you can't know what might happen next. If you are shy only in appearance but if a little crazy inside, show it every now and then. Get your hair blown up and do some flips or dance. Others will laugh and find you funny.
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Don't get defensive about something that only bothers you. For example, do not shout "Why do you have so many prejudices?" Or "Why don't you like women?" When maybe you are hyper sensitive to the subject due to past experiences. Try to always find the best in others and give them the benefit of the doubt.
If you're arguing with someone about something stupid like shoes, forget it. Get out of unnecessary discussions. If you are arguing with someone because they have made fun of the friend you are walking with and you are defending her, then it is another matter
- Don't say bad or hurtful things to others. Avoid sensitive speeches like politics, religion and sexuality because people can easily take offense at these things. If someone asks for your opinion, say it, but remember that others may have different points of view.
- Respect everyone, no matter what they think or say. They are people and deserve to be treated with respect. If you treat people well, you will be treated well. Don't be offensive just to make yourself beautiful or like you don't care. You risk driving others away and it may seem like you don't know what you're talking about.
Step 5. Find people with the same interests as you
Get up, move, and join a group of classmates who have the same interests as you, whether it's for lunch or a party. In that context, it is easier to meet people and make new friends. And it's okay if you and your friends don't have much in common, the important thing is to stay together and be happy.
- If your friends judge you or don't approve of something you do, then they're not friends. Friends should protect you and think about your well-being (so they may not want you to smoke), but other than that, they need to support you in what you do.
- Join clubs or courses that interest you. If you want to paint, sign up for a painting course. If you love to write, take a writing class. Don't worry about what people might say or think about you. If you are sure of what you do, they will be the ones to be ridiculous when they make fun of you.
- Don't worry about joining a group. You don't have to define yourself the way others do. If you want to be part of a skaters crew, then go skateboarding, and don't listen to anyone who tells you that you are not a skater.
Method 3 of 3: Be Fun
Step 1. Discover your innate humor
For many, being funny means calling attention to something strange or unexpected. But how to do it? First of all, you need to be convinced that you know what makes you laugh. Remember times you've been funny and know you can still be.
- Find out what makes you laugh, because it will probably make others laugh too. Take note of all the funny things that happen to you, or the funny things that others say. You will get used to being surrounded by humor.
- Find out why certain things make you laugh. Knowing how to make a joke is based on understanding why something is funny. When someone says or does something funny, ask yourself "Why is it so funny?". Become a scholar of humor.
- Surround yourself with funny people. These people can be your friends or the actors you see on TV. Whoever they are, observe them carefully; their comedy will also become yours.
Step 2. Don't be afraid to tease yourself a little
A sense of humor also means taking oneself little seriously. Look at the comedians: pretty much everything they make fun of is something they said or happened to them. If you can tease yourself (with confidence) others will know that you have good self-esteem.
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Train with self-irony. Self-deprecating humor is when you make fun of yourself in a funny way, and since you are not afraid of making mistakes, others will not be afraid of your judgment or criticism. Here are some examples of self-deprecating jokes. Remember that these are quite formal jokes, try to use other more free ones to draw attention to your funny sides.
- "I went to a psychiatrist and he said 'You're crazy.' I told him I wanted a second opinion. He said, 'Okay, you're ugly too!'"
- "I'm sorry for those who don't drink or do drugs. Because one day they'll be in a hospital bed, dying, and they won't know why."
- "I'm so ugly that when I was born, the doctor slapped my mother."
Step 3. Remember that different situations are fun for different reasons
There are several types of humor; knowing so many different lines depends on your understanding of what's funny. Here are some examples of different jokes based on situations and contexts.
- Expectations Vs Reality. When we expect something, and something completely different comes to us, we are surprised: "I went to a wrestling match the other night and found myself in a hockey game."
- Puns. Playing with words to make something sound slightly different from what we expect: "I had a terrible dream, a nightmare. Complicated to say the least. A Rubik's nightmare!"
- Puns or sarcasm. A single word or phrase to make fun of something someone has just said: One of your friends says: "Isn't it strange that there is hair only on the arms and in the private parts?". This friend is not expecting an answer. You reply: "Speak for yourself."
Step 4. Practice, practice, practice
Being funny is an art, not a science. There are no manuals you can read for fun. But it is important to be consistent, and learn how to laugh at difficulties and mistakes.
- Read funny books and watch comedies. You can find a list on the web, or you can ask your friends for advice.
- Try the jokes in the mirror. If you've never made jokes before, take it easy: don't bombard your classmates or friends with constant jokes. Do one every now and then, and mark the ones that work. If they don't work, ask yourself what you can do to make them fun.
- Get up when you fall. All funny people make bad jokes every now and then. You can often make some self-mockery about it. It doesn't mean they're not funny. So don't be afraid to fail. The good news is that no one will remember your jokes if they aren't funny!
Advice
- Be honest. Lying will leave you alone, because your friends won't trust you anymore.
- Everyone likes to get "some" attention (even the shy ones). Give people attention, and you will often be rewarded with affection. It does not take much.
- Surround yourself with people you value.
- Don't forget to listen and have an open mind to understand those around you.
- Take care of yourself, and never be someone you are not!
- Don't get overwhelmed and don't hurt anyone!
- It's easier to talk to someone who has had the same experiences as you. In fact, your current friends usually talk about interesting things they have done in the past.
- People often underestimate unconscious actions. When interacting with others, remember that they often make conversation difficult due to their insecurities. The best thing to do is to be sure of yourself. Security gives you an advantageous point of view to see other people's social inadequacies.
- Aim for people's respect, not their approval. People are attracted to those who value themselves. If you seek the approval of others, then you are implicitly saying "I value the opinion that this person has of me because it is an indication of my worth.". You must respect and value yourself and not seek someone else's approval.
- Be positive with your friends, so that no one will think that you are contradicting.