My cousin and me were talking yesterday and she told me she didn't really have that many other people to talk to. She's really lonely. I don't really know how to explain making friends to her, because I'm not really that good at explaining, but what is a good way to describe how to make friends?

be yourself and talk about your interests? be a fun person to be around, the kind of person you'd want to spend time with. i'd say thats a pretty good start

In a group situation where you're likely to be in the same place for a period of time, talk to someone who you haven't talked to before. Start with a greeting and talk about a generic topic like the weather.

That's how I tend to meet new people who sometimes eventually become friends.

First know why she don't have many friends. Maybe your cousin is introvert, an introvert is a person who is energized by being alone and whose energy is drained by being around other people. An introvert is not simply a person who is shy. Its different with being shy. In fact, being shy has little to do with being an introvert! Shyness has an element of apprehension, nervousness and anxiety, and while an introvert may also be shy, so its not a bad thing because sometimes i don't like too many people around me specially in parties. That's also why i have few friends.

The second thing she could do is knowing herself by knowing herself (ea. hobbies, things you like etc.), you can make a good conversation with the others. If she know herself very well talking to other will be so simple by giving an opinion to one topic.

Firstly, always be quick to give compliments, and slow to take offence.
Compliments are the best ice-breaker, if they're genuine, so when you meet someone and think "I like their shoes", tell them so! It sounds simple, but I find it's the quickest way to open up a conversation with someone without it being awkward.

Secondly, be careful not to waffle on about yourself too much, ask them about THEIR hobbies and interests, too.
It's the best way to find common ground, keep digging until you hit upon a shared interest, or even just something that sounds interesting that you'd like to hear more about. Then see if you "click".

Be yourself, that's the most important thing :3

Don't be afraid to approach people. I've had friendships start over "small talk", as much as I dislike that. Listen to what people have to say and try to be friendly. Also, find people you have things in common with.

*Reads thread and takes notes*

Usually by seeing if they're doing, wearing, or something that I'm also interested in and I usually say something like, "Oh I like [whatever it is] too!" And thus starts a conversation usually. But this rarely happens.

My very introverted partner recently moved away for college and has been having a hard time making friends as well. I've just told him to actively put himself in social situations, get involved with things on campus, and don't be afraid to start conversations with strangers.

I wish your cousin luck in meeting people!

I am very good at talking with people and having people like me, my biggest issue with why I only have 2 IRL friends (one being my SO) is that I have no desire to maintain those relationships. It becomes too much energy and stress for me to keep up with it.

I used to make friends by going out and drinking way too much. I do not recommend this method. lol I actually am still friends or rather still acquainted with a lot of people from my party days, but the lifestyle itself is very unsatisfying. It really caused a lot of damage to my life, which was completely my own fault.

I did also make a lot of friends at my job. I worked at a tattoo shop and was friends with my co-workers as well as a few people I met through them. I'm always really shy when I first meet people, so it can be hard for me to open up enough to become friends. I did it over time though, which is I think what it really takes to make friends. Time, patience, and a lot of effort putting yourself out there. (not in a desperate/needy sort of way)

I am/was very much the introvert myself, but the things that helped me most in gaining confidence to talk, and talk to people i don't know in other scenarios was making associations with people who are in the same position as you, or those who have the same interests. For me it was volunteering at my local zoo. I wasn't afraid to talk to anyone there after a while because we were all there for the same reason; learn and educate in tern. I gained a lot of confidence in myself there, and that has allowed me to talk to people who i don't really have anything in common with.

I couldn't for certain say that talking to more people assures their friendship, but it increases the odds of finding somebody who you genuinely click with.

Dont focus too much on trying to make friends. You should be confident enough in your own skin first and when you are true to yourself and good towards everyone in general, friends just start coming themselves. I am the kind of person I am and i believe you end up with ppl sharing your frequency of thought, so the more easy you are with yourself the more easier it will be to trust and approach you. Smile!

Don't push too much on your cousin, that is a way to ensure she won't make any more friends. I've been pushed and pushed and pushed by other people to make more friends that I'm at the point where I DON'T want to do it. Nor do I really like talking to people, because I just can't find something to say. If you really want your cousin to make friends, see what she likes and maybe go from there. If she likes certain games or TV shows, maybe she could find a club or something like that to go to a couple of times.

Just remember don't over push her into anything.

I'm an extrovert so the yabbing and gabbing comes naturally to me. But I wasn't always like this! I actually used to be a shy kid. What helped me was my friend. She started to play sports with me and introduced me to her friends. She literally toughened me up. I grew through her and, when she moved away, I got super involved with activities and organizations. I was/am in Girl Scouts, I volunteered for X, Z, and Y, I attended art lessons, I went to animal-based events, I pretty much put myself out there. I was constantly busy and constantly meeting new people. It's how I made friends and met people. Heck, had I not joined cosplay troupe, I never would have met one of my friends who introduced me to another friend who introduced me to her now ex-boyfriend (my Biffle) who introduced me to my boyfriend. Making those connections does wonders. You really expand your circle and make close connections with people you probably didn't know existed!

I think, for me, the icing on the cake was really getting involved with volunteering, community service, and leadership though. I have been doing this stuff I was thirteen (well, the leadership part that is). I found that doing this kind of stuff makes you learn how to interact with all kinds of people. You also bond over a common thing - making the world a better place. You help people and feel good about it. It's win-win, if you ask me.

My tip for your cousin, go to an activity or event together. Meet people through that. If you enjoy cosplay, go to a club meeting. If you like art, find a local workshop to attend. If you're tree-huggers, volunteer to help plant trees on Earth Day. The possibilities are endless! Your cousin just has to be willing to put herself out there and try. You never know, she might enjoy it and find she can make a lot of new friends. :)

As far as the making friends part goes, it's all about being yourself. It might be awkward and weird at first, but the little things can turn into big things. Start small - name, major, favorite color, etc. Build up from there. Building a friendship is like reading a book. You can't expect to start off with a climax so you shouldn't instantly think you can talk about anything. You have to set the story up and let the characters reveal who they are. If it's meant to be, the story will progress. If it's not, well, the book is boring and you stop reading.

I wish your cousin the best of luck! Hopefully, she'll find some awesome friends who'll mean the world to her :)

I usually stick to one main friend, and let her introduce me to new people (since she knows about everyone in the school). I wait for people to come to me. When I first moved to the town I'm living in now, I knew no one, so when I transferred into school I was kinda alone until she started talking to me. So I'd say let people come to you, and if that's not working try maybe slowly talking to people.

Friends are hard to make sometimes. Has she tried making friends on the internet? Finding other people that share the same interests as her. Sometimes its easier on the internet because you don't have to talk to them in person. I myself am a loner and I don't like to be around other people that's why most of my friends are on the internet. I find it better that way because I'm a very awkward person in real life and don't do well with talking to people face-to-face. That and they don't really undersstand my british slang haha. But yeah try friends on the internet, just watch out for the weirdos.

Just go with the flow. In my personal experiences you should never try to "make" friends nor should you push to be antisocial.

I've done both, failing in each attempt. The best thing to do is to let it be. Friends literally come and go all the time. Somehow you're just...attracted to each other.

But that's my being all philosophical, I guess. What I'm simply saying is, good friends simply just come along.

The friends I have, I met all of them with common interests.
My closest friend it was because I was curious when her parents moved into the house down the road from me and we both are the same age (I'm older by a few months), over the years the two of us ended up growing up together and have stayed really close even to this day. Even an ocean doesn't separate us :D We put most modern relationships to shame (we've been friends since we were 8, we're now 26).

Other friends I met for the same reason. Whether it is being in the same major, club, watching the same streamer, music, etc.

I will usually hit them over the head with a stick, and then make sure I have some very sturdy chains in my dungeon... Also I make friends... Literally usually out of a bit of straw or rolled up newspapers and my old girlfriends clothes!

Honestly though as others have said, be yourself, as if you want to make real friends, then they should like you for who you are. And nobody should get hung up on how many friends they have and so on and so on, as you get older you find out who your real friends are, and notice the number of real best friends decreases, until you can usually count them on your fingers. I myself have four best friends. One from school, one a childhood friend, one from my first job, and my wife...

My family has this kind of disease that makes people like us for some reason. I've actually had to train myself to be unnaturally a bitch in order to repel other people -__-

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Well since I'm an introvert myself, I usually make friends by looking for other people who are sitting alone. they usually appreciate the gesture of someone reminding them that they're not invisible ...of course, some people are sitting alone for a reason o.o I've met some really weird ones... and not the good, friendly kind of weird. but anyways, going someplace new is fun, like maybe take a class, hang in a coffee shop, or go to the park, where there aren't really any close-knit groups and there are a lot of people sitting by themselves. that'd be my advice at least

When I try to, I am just myself and I wear or discuss what I like. I find friends that way ^-^ being honest and yourself is the best way.