How to Have More (Real) Friends

How to Have More Friends

Feeling connected to other people is one of the most important factors in our happiness, and if you want to have more (real) friends, you’re not alone. We humans are social animals, and that’s true whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert. As a therapist and healthy relationship coach, I can guarantee this: we simply need each other.

The concept of being connected truly does lead to personal fulfillment and satisfaction, but social media relationships don’t count – from a happiness perspective. While actual, real-world “lets-hang-out” relationships are strongly associated with authentic joy and perceived well-being, the opposite is true for Facebook relationships. People who spend more time on Facebook tend to be less happy, more lonely, and generally sadder than people who spent less time on it. A phone call will do much more for your mood than a scroll through your news feed.

The Challenge of How to Have More Friends

But the truth is that having more friends and connecting with others can feel challenging sometimes, especially in adulthood. As our lives change through moves, break-ups, transitioning into parenthood, or evolving interests, our social landscape can start to empty out. Even people who made friends effortlessly their whole lives can struggle to find new people to connect with as adults. In fact, I talk to people all the time who are attractive, smart, and interesting — but still feel really lonely and isolated sometimes.

So on this edition of the Love, Happiness, and Success Podcast, we’re going to tackle this problem and talk about how to have more friends that contribute to your health and happiness and you to theirs!

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