How to Make New Friends
By Sam Berns
First, you gotta like yourself
People that like themselves have an easier time making friends. If you don’t really believe in yourself, others are going to agree with you and move on (you are the expert on the subject after all, the subject being you). What do you like about yourself? For more ideas, ask people you know what they like about you, I bet you will discover even more reasons to like yourself!Be yourself
Not everyone is going to like you. And that’s ok. (You’re not going to like everyone you meet either.) But you have to be yourself. What’s the point of pretending to being someone else just to be liked? It’s better to find the select people who like the real you than to have everyone like the “fake” you.Smile
Be approachable, when you make eye contact, make sure to smile. People are more attracted to friendly faces. Notice the people with frowns on their faces looking tough, yeah, they usually end up sitting alone in a corner somewhere.Be clean
Make sure to wear clean clothes, have fresh breath, pleasant cologne or perfume (but not too much – one or two sprays should do the trick). If you smell bad, people won’t want to be around you.Be positive
Nobody likes to hear other people’s problems the first time they meet. It’s best to keep those issues for people who you’ve known a bit longer and keep things positive when meeting new people. Instead, try giving them an honest compliment of something positive you like about them.Don’t talk behind other peoples’ backs
People won’t trust you if you say bad things about others behind their backs because they’ll wonder what bad things you have to say about them when they’re not around. Plus, the bad things you say about other people always have a way of making it to the person you were badmouthing.Isn’t the whole point of this to make friends, not enemies? If talking badly about someone is the only thing you have in common, then that is not a real friendship. Remember, the enemy of your enemy is not your friend.
