Making new friends is always a challenge for people of all ages, and the level of this challenge can vary from person to person. However, when you reach middle-age, it can be extremely difficult to make new friends.
Do you think making new friends in your 40’s, 50’s or 60’s have to be intimidating and scary?
Absolutely not! But most people fail to make new friends after 40, and here are few reasons why they fail.
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People are busy with their families
One of the top reasons it’s difficult to make new friends after your 40’s is that most people have other commitments in their lives by that point. People in their 40’s usually have older children (i.e., teenagers), and those children tend to require a lot of their attention and time. So, It becomes extremely difficult to meet and socialize with new people.
People’s social circles rarely change after 30
Many pieces of research have shown that when people reach their 30’s, they value quality friendship more than quantity. Once the circle of people becomes smaller, they tend to settle for fewer friendships. They stop making efforts to fit in the new circle of people.
Higher levels of individualism
Recent researches have shown that people are becoming more individualistic, materialistic, and narcissistic. One of the main culprits for this behavior is social media. People are spending more time online, making silly comparisons, engaging in meaningless social media interactions, and, thus, keeping to themselves without actually making any meaningful relationship.
Lack of education on friendship and social skills
All the social media platforms, forums, and online blogs are filled with pieces of advice on making new relationships and finding the perfect partner, but nobody talks about making new friends. The advice that one might give to make better relationships does not necessarily apply to making quality friendships.
When you’re older, it takes more than one thing in common to make friends
As a kid, it is much easier to make friends as we tend to attract anybody who has anything in common with us. But as we grew up, things change, and you need more than one thing in common to make friends. You start looking for compatibility.
So, to make new friends even after 40, it is best to join clubs and volunteer for things you care about. This allows you to socialize with people who care about the same things you do, resulting in meaningful relationships.
