How to make friends and influence

How to Make Close Friends

    Tips on Meeting People and Building Strong Friendships
Friends have a huge impact on your happiness and quality of life; they relieve stress, provide comfort and joy, prevent loneliness and isolation, and even strengthen your health.
   
     Despite their importance, close friendships don’t just happen. Many of us struggle to meet new friends and develop quality connections. Even when we’re willing to put in the time and effort, we don’t always know how to go about it. But whatever your age or circumstances, it's never too late to make new friends or reconnect with old ones. These tips can help.
You may also like "Living an Efficient Life"

Why friends are important
      Friends are more important to psychological well-being than even our love and family relationships. Friends bring more happiness into our lives than virtually anything else. Not only that, our friendship have a powerful impact on our physical health. Lack of social connection can be as damaging as smoking, drinking too much, or leading a sedentary lifestyle. The quality of our friendships is even tied to longevity. online friends aren’t enough, because they can't hug you when a crisis hits, visit you when you're sick, or celebrate a happy occasion with you after work. Our most important and powerful connections happen when we’re face-to-face.

The benefits of friendship
      Good friends add special meaning to life. They help you share the good times and overcome the difficult ones. Among other things, good friends can: Improve your mood with their infectious happiness; Help you to reach your goals through their encouragement; Reduce your stress and depression; Support you through tough times; Support you as you age; Boost your sense of self-worth.

What to look for in a friend
      Ideally, a friend should be someone you trust, who shares a deep level of understanding and communication with you. A good friend will show a genuine interest in what's going on in your life, what you have to say, and how you think and feel about things. He or she will accept you for who you are and listen to you attentively without judging you.
As friendship works both ways, a friend is also someone you feel comfortable supporting and accepting, someone with whom you share a bond of trust and loyalty. A good friend will feel comfortable sharing things about themselves with you. Focus on the way a friendship feels, not what it looks like. Try not to get too caught up in external qualifications and criteria When looking for new friends.

How to be more friendly and social
     Maybe the first trick to finding friends is to befriend ourselves, and to become comfortable with silence, because no one has the power to make us feel okay with ourselves but us. you don't have to be naturally outgoing to make new friends. You can make the extra effort to be more friendly and open to others, while still maintaining your own personality.
i. Focus on others, not yourself. The key to connecting to other people is showing interest in them. You’ll make far more friends by showing your interest rather than trying to get people interested in you.

ii. Be genuine. No one likes to be manipulated or placated. If you’re not genuinely interested in the other person, than stop trying to connect.

iii. Pay attention. Make an effort to truly listen to the other person. By paying close attention to others, you’ll quickly get to know them.

iv. Self-disclosure: the key to turning acquaintances into friends
Tips for meeting new people
Try to be open to new ideas and experiences when looking for places to meet new people. Volunteering can be a great way to help others while also meeting new people. it also gives you the opportunity to regularly practice and develop your social skills.
Take a class or join a club to meet people with common interests, such as a book group, dinner club, or sports team. Websites such as Meetup.com can help you find local groups or start your own and connect with others who share similar interests.

Fear of rejection
      Making new friends means putting you out there, and that can be scary. It could be intimidating if you’re someone with trust issues. When you’re unable to trust others, your friendships will be dominated by fear—fear of betrayal, fear of being let down, fear of feeling vulnerable. But it is possible to learn to trust others. By working with the right therapist, you can identify the source of your mistrust and explore ways to build trust in existing and future friendships.  Nobody likes to be rejected, but there are healthier ways to look at it that can make it less upsetting. If someone does reject you, that doesn’t mean that you’re worthless or unlovable, a rejection is not necessarily a reflection on you. You’re not going to like everyone you meet, and vice versa. Try to focus on the long-term goal of making quality connections, rather than getting caught up in the friendships that didn’t pan out.
Improve your friendships by being a better friend
      Remember that making a friend is just the beginning of the journey into friendship. Friendships take time to form and even more time to deepen. In order to move from acquaintance to close friend, you need to nurture and invest in that new connection. It's a process that requires time, effort, and a genuine interest in the other person.
i. Be the friend that you would like to have. Treat your friend just as you want them to treat you. Be reliable, thoughtful, trustworthy, and willing to share yourself and your time.

ii. Be a good listener. To develop a solid friendship with someone, be prepared to listen and support them just as you want them to listen and support you.

iii. Give your friend space. Don't be too clingy or needy, and be sure not to abuse your friend's generosity. Everyone needs space to be alone or spend time with other people as well.

iv. Don't set too many rules and expectations. Instead, allow your friendship to evolve naturally. You're both unique individuals so your friendship probably won't develop exactly as you expect.

v. Be forgiving. No one is perfect and every friend will make mistakes. No friendship develops smoothly so when there's a bump in the road, try to find a way to overcome the problem and move on. It will often deepen the bond of friendship between you.

You may also like
The nature of Happiness