Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Finding and making friends
• Part 2 of 3: Talking to strangers
• Part 3 of 3: Showing that you can be a good friend
• Tips
• Warnings

Although psychological research has shown that people tend to get along better with people who share similar physical and biological characteristics, it is still possible to be friends with many different types of people from all different backgrounds. The trick is to be open-minded, understanding, and talkative. In no time you will have received so many invitations that you need a larger calendar.

To step

Part 1 of 3: Finding and making friends

1. Develop your interests. To be friends with different people, you also need to have different interests. That way, chances are you have something in common with everyone, so it can be easier to have conversations and build relationships. For example, join a choir, volunteer at a hospital in the area, paint, learn to play the guitar or become a member of a football club. If you've always wanted to have a hobby or occupation, this is a good reason to get one.
   • Understand the personality of the group you want to be friends with. Find out what brings them together - is it a shared activity (for example, a discussion group or a music band) or is it a harmonious balance of character traits (open-minded, introverted or extroverted, etc.)? If you share a trait with this group, let that shared trait shine.
2. Make a habit of asking others' contact information. Most people are a bit shy when it comes to making new friends. They automatically tend to assume that you are not interested in friendship unless you indicate that you are. Take a risk, take action and ask for their phone number, Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. By being friends online, you will be one step closer to true friendship.
   • When you have their contact information, you can invite each other to do something together, or you can just have a conversation online. The more you talk to each other, the better it will feel when you see each other in person.
3. Don't wait for an invitation - be the one who invites. Be outgoing and proactive in inviting others to do something together and make it clear where and when you meet. If you want to be friends with everyone, then you have to be the one to contact others and take their habits into account. Again, people tend to get nervous and shy when they are around new people. They may want to do something, but are too shy to ask.
   • Interact with different groups a lot. However, be aware that it can take a lot of time and energy to be friends with everyone, as you must always be friendly, outgoing, and willing to spend time with your friends, which will leave little time for yourself.
   • Remember you don't have to be outgoing to be a good person; there is nothing wrong with being shy and reserved, because even then you will find friends of your own kind. However, if your goal is to be friends with many different types, then you will need to be very open.
4. Accept any invitation. It is often said that you will no longer be invited if you never accept invitations. And that makes sense - would you keep inviting a friend who keeps declining your invitations anyway? So, if you want to make new friends, accept as many invitations as possible, especially in the beginning. How else do you expect to build friendships?
   • Remember that every group is different. Their interests and habits will be very different, such as language use, what is liked and what is not liked or funny and what their way of "chilling" is. Take a good look at what applies to each group and adjust accordingly. Just be yourself. Don't pretend to be someone else because you think you will fit better with a certain group.
5. Smile and remember everyone's name. If you are friends with everyone, you will be inundated with information. Is it Kevin who likes rock music? Was it Paul and Vincent who played rugby? If you are with your new (or future) friends, address them by name, ask them about something you know about them, and have a friendly smile. They will feel a little special when they notice that you have already remembered so much from them.
   • One of the easiest things you can do to make good friends is smile and just be happy. Joke, laugh and contribute to a good time. Once they see that you are a fun person to be with, you will definitely be considered a friend.

Part 2 of 3: Talking to strangers

1. Notice the environment or occasion. One of the hardest things about making new friends is chatting with strangers. To start a conversation, you can take the opportunity as a topic. Talk about that boring tone of voice your teacher speaks, or about Michelle's awful outfit. It doesn't have to be anything special - the conversation will get better and better from there.
   • Even "This song is really great!" Can break the ice. When the two of you start singing along to the song, a close moment has already been created.
2. Ask open questions. To continue the conversation, you can ask your conversation partner open questions, which means they have to answer more than just "yes" or "no", since closed questions don't really help start or keep a conversation going. What do they think of that festival that will take place soon? Do they know which artists will be attending?
   • Ask people what their plans are for the weekend. If something seems appropriate for you to join, you can let us know that you are interested and you can wait for an invitation. If you are not invited, ask yourself whether it is a good idea to explicitly ask if you can come along. Be careful with that, because some people find it very annoying if you have to be there all the time.
3. Listen carefully. When was the last time someone looked at you, smiled and asked if you were all right and you were for real meant? An attentive listener is quite rare, especially now that everyone is sitting with their phone all day long. When they talk, listen carefully. They will notice and appreciate that.
   • Showing your interest in someone else is one of the best ways to show that you like that person, making them feel meaningful. Even if they're just complaining about their nasty mom, support them. Help them laugh. Everyone needs that kind of support from time to time. You can be that support for someone.
4. Give compliments. What else you can do to make others feel meaningful is to give compliments; a good way to break the ice. "Hey, nice shoes! Where did you get it? "Is a good example of a conversation starter. Who knows, maybe the interest you show will make up for someone else's day.
   • Think about your friends. Which friends do you associate with positivity and which with negativity? You will probably know that soon enough. If you want others to associate you with positivity, giving compliments will help ensure that.
5. Make time for all of your friends. You have a lot of friends now. You want to keep those friends by seeing them regularly. It's okay to have a schedule. You spend Monday with the choir, Tuesday you are in football practice, and so on. Just make sure you stay flexible enough to meet up with friends you haven't seen in a while!
   • This is the biggest downside to being friends with everyone - you have to make time for everyone. If it really gets too much for you, make some time for yourself to refuel. True friends will respect that and will always be there for you afterwards.

Part 3 of 3: Showing that you can be a good friend

1. Be a friend you would like to be friends with. Being friends with everyone isn't about being part of a popular group or claiming respect by being cocky, it's about being liked and being a good friend. If you want everyone to like you, then act like someone who "yourself"Would like." What type of friend do you imagine when you think of someone who is liked by everyone?
   • You can get off to a good start by being caring and helpful. If someone missed a lesson, have them copy your notes. Does someone have to be taken somewhere? Offer to drive for him or her. That way, there is a good chance that they will also offer you help.
2. Make them feel good. Most people sometimes feel dissatisfied with themselves. A good friend is often able to brighten you up again at such a moment. Be such a friend yourself by getting together regularly, by giving compliments, and by making some effort to stay friends. Send us a WhatsApp, give us a call or pay us a visit. Let them know you are on their side.
   • Just being there for someone can change someone's life. Recent research shows that having one close friend can not only make you incredibly happier, but it can even extend your lifespan. Even better, one good friend equals the joy that a sum of money of € 100,000 a year will bring. You just being there for them is quite the gift.
3. Focus on their good qualities. Realize that you will meet many different people, each with different characters, attitudes, opinions and interests. Be open and pleasant enough to get along with all those different types, even if you don't have everything in common with them. Concentrate on their good qualities - not the ones that you think are bad or not so good.
   • Be respectful. That way, your disagreement will always be appreciated. Don't suppress your opinion, just be respectful so that you never seem offensive to anyone.
4. Put effort into your friendship. Since you have so many friends, it will sometimes become difficult to maintain some friendships. It does not matter. Friends come and go and it's a natural process - most studies show that half of our social circles disappear within seven years. If you've found friends you really never want to lose, put some effort into your friendship. Just invite them, give them a call and always keep in touch. After all, it has to come from both sides.
   • If you live far from your friends, you will have to put in a little more effort. Research shows that long-distance relationships with friends are more likely to be broken up and are more likely to be replaced by relationships with friends in the neighborhood. So keep WhatsApping, Facebooking and calling with each other. You can always be there for each other if needed.
5. Don't talk negatively about others or gossip. Even though it might make for an interesting conversation of a minute or two, you never know who will offend you and what relationships you can destroy. And if you often talk negatively about others, people will notice, and they won't trust you completely - because how do they know you don't talk about them that way in their absence?
   • Be pleasant, treat others as you would like to be treated yourself and friends will come from all sides.
6. Don't take it personally if not everyone wants to be friends with you. If you find yourself frequently not being invited, or only hear about certain events afterwards, know that you may be deliberately excluded. You may be hurt by this, but no one is obligated to be friends with you and if they feel that you are not a good fit for them, then it is up to them to decide whether or not to include you. Don't bother befriending them anyway and just look for other friends as there are plenty of them.
   • If you start to notice that you have to ask one person again and again whether that group in question is going to do something, if you want to be allowed to join, from now on ask another from that group if you can come along. You can also invite that person to do something, after which you await his or her response. If it turns out that your invitation does not come true because something was already planned for them, you may be invited to join them. If your invitation to do something takes place right before their activity, you may be able to join the activity they have planned afterwards.

Tips

• Don't be afraid to talk to people. After all, you can't make new friends if you never meet strangers!
• If someone wants to be alone for a while, respect that and avoid being too clingy.
• It is important that you take good care of yourself. Shower daily. Wash your face, brush your teeth, and be hygienic at all times.
• Leaving your old friends for new friends is a really bad idea. Always be kind. If you have one or a few close friends, don't take them for granted and try to keep them forever.
• Never put others in boxes. Just assuming someone falls into a certain category can hurt them (even if they proudly say they belong to a certain type - respect that they see themselves that way, but don't take it over from them).
• Be polite to everyone, even if you do it just by saying "I'm sorry."
• Don't force friendship. Just do what you have to do and you will really make some new friends. Sometimes things come to us when we least expect it.
• If you want to befriend someone, give a compliment or start a conversation and you can introduce yourself. That makes it a little less uncomfortable.

Warnings

• Don't forget who your real friends are. Don't try to befriend someone just because he or she is very popular or something like that.
• Not everyone will like you, but that's their problem and not yours. You can't force anyone to like you, so don't do that. This will only make you look worse!
• It can be difficult to be friends with everyone because not everyone is going to like that you hang out with so many different people. It may happen to you that you have a number of friends who don't get along with each other, so you always have to choose who to hang out with, since you probably can't do it all at once.
• If the demanding contact with all those friends is too much for you, your friends will soon disappear. Make sure you have some really good friends, otherwise all of your friends may look more "just" like acquaintances.
• You can't always have super good friends around you - very often people are a bit in between friends and acquaintances. You will often leave a party on your own and then go to another party on your own. There you will see other friends, but you cannot always and everywhere be surrounded by your very best friends.