How to make friends as an adult: 11 practical ways from sociable creatives

Laura Regensdorf for The New York Times published a guide on Jan. 29, 2026 offering 11 ways to make friends as an adult, noting a drop in close friendships over decades and research linking robust relationships to health and happiness. The American Perspectives Survey found that just 13 percent of respondents reported having 10 or more close friends in 2021, compared with 33 percent in 1990, and a long-running Harvard study links strong relationships to overall health outcomes and happiness.

The piece urges readers to tune in to intuition and look for shared tastes. Yasmin Sewell says to act when you feel an "instant feeling of trust, which is rare," and Joshua Woods recommends noticing people whose overall tastes align with your own. Tino Sehgal adds that, even in professional contexts, it helps to "develop a sensitivity for who sees you as a human." Practical follow-up matters: Julia Sherman says a conversation often yields "10 bullet points of things to follow up about," and Lucy Dacus typically volunteers her number, inputs it into the other person’s phone and then calls herself.

Aminatou Sow encourages boldness — "Be cringe!" — noting that direct introductions can impress. Keep momentum through small check-ins (memes, short FaceTime bursts), logs or lists of recent interactions, and penciling in plans when life gets busy.

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