Choosing People to Be Your Friends

Choose friends carefully can have an enormously positive effect on the quality of your life, but how can you determine who merits that honor?

Idealistically, it would be wonderful if we could select friends who share our values and beliefs, yet this may not always be possible. Studies have revealed that students at colleges with diverse populations often form exclusive circles of friends despite attending them.

1. Share common interests.

As your inner circle consists of people close to your heart, be selective when selecting those you allow into it. Since those you allow into it have access to your emotions and may require substantial investment of both time and energy from you.

Finding something in common with your friends can make for easier communication and spending time together. From shared hobbies or goals, to similar values or lifestyle preferences – having something in common makes finding conversation starters and spending quality time easier.

Sharing common interests can provide opportunities for personal growth and self-discovery. For instance, if both of you enjoy Star Trek or 60’s rock music, for example, sharing your enjoyment could open the doors to exploring other topics together.

2. Share similar values.

People who share similar values create an essential basis for trust within friendships, as it serves as an aid when resolving disputes as they have the same framework for understanding issues and making decisions.

But you don’t have to share every value with your friends – in fact, having differences can add a sense of adventure and diversity into your lives.

If creativity is something you prize, surround yourself with friends who also appreciate art, theater and books to provide inspiration to take creative pursuits seriously and live up to this trait you prize. Additionally, having some friends who will always have your back no matter where disagreements may lie can make the difference between true friends and acquaintances.

3. Share common goals.

People with similar goals tend to be beneficial as they encourage you to pursue your own. They understand the difficulty and hard work involved with reaching your dreams, and want nothing more than for you to succeed in all that you set out to achieve.

They give credit for your efforts rather than only complimenting your intelligence or talents, which is tremendously helpful as an entrepreneur as it helps foster your sense of self worth and develop confidence.

According to popular belief, your company reflects you. Spending time with people who do not share similar values as yourself could hinder your progression – they should only serve to strengthen and not weaken you!

4. Share a sense of humor.

Laughing together strengthens relationships and is a wonderful stress reliever. Laughter also has the power to soothe arguments, disagreements and bad moods; many mental health professionals consider humor an indicator of psychological strength as it’s one of the top characteristics sought out when searching for romantic partners.

If you want to cultivate a sense of humor, start by laughing at humorous content and anecdotes in your daily life. Once you find a type of humor you enjoy mimicking it – practice will make perfect! Additionally, adaptive humor helps us not take ourselves so seriously when faced with challenging situations, making relationships less stressful by lessening tension due to criticism or miscommunications.

5. Share a thirst for knowledge.

People with an eagerness for knowledge are constantly expanding and evolving – this quality makes great friends. Life is all about progressing forward rather than remaining static.

Good news is, you have the power to alter the qualities of your friends if they no longer meet your needs. Just be sure to select wisely!

According to Bahns, thirst for knowledge is less pompous and more accurate. Her study may be limited because it focused on students from Kansas universities; however, she is conducting further research with students from other countries and cultures as she investigates whether any differences exist across nations in regards to traits related to thirst for knowledge; should such differences exist then she hopes that will allow her to better comprehend cultural influence on how individuals select friends.

6. Share a sense of vulnerability.

Vulnerability is an integral component of healthy friendships, enabling us to connect on a deeper level with others while signaling our trust in them. Yet many avoid vulnerability out of fear of being hurt; building walls around themselves or engaging in cycles of push-pull relationships where someone comes closer before pulling back again are ways they might try and shield themselves.

Sharing vulnerabilities requires great courage, but can also be immensely rewarding. Starting slowly by sharing positive aspects about yourself can help ease into more vulnerable topics later on. Listen actively, use body language when talking and validate their emotions by saying things like “That must have been difficult” or “I understand why you feel that way”, to create an emotionally safe space. This will enable both parties to feel safe opening up more.

7. Share a sense of belonging.

Feeling connected has never been more essential in today’s fast-paced society, as families fragment and traditional community structures disintegrate (Baumeister & Leary 1995). Feeling isolated has been linked to mental health difficulties, substance use issues and even suicide (Baumeister & Leary 1995).

Dr. Gopalan’s study revealed that students who felt more connected with their university reported significantly lower rates of depression and anxiety during fall 2019. Furthermore, those taught adaptive reframe techniques reported greater feelings of belonging compared to those who hadn’t received such training.

Longitudinal research is necessary in order to fully comprehend the social, cognitive, and behavioural mechanisms related to belonging. For now though, keep an open mind and seek activities with people you can laugh with while sharing interests – finding people you enjoy is also key!