7 Ways To Have A Bigger Social Circle

Being social and having positive relationships have been proven to make you live a longer, happier and healthier life. Positive social relationships can lower stress levels, reduce blood pressure, and generally make life more enjoyable.

While for some people getting out and being social isn’t a big deal at all, for others it can be terrifying to think about having to meet and talk to new people.

Sometimes, even the most confident people still have their own insecurities. So the important thing is to stop focusing on your shortcomings and look to your strengths instead. Embrace your uniqueness and rise above the fear of rejection, and in doing so, you can expand your social circle and improve your life!

Check out our tips for adding more people to your social circle. Though you won’t get instant results, practicing these tips will gradually help expand your social network.

# Smile

The fastest way to make a friend, or just generally attract people is by smiling. Smiling not only helps you look friendlier and more approachable, but it also can increase your positive thinking while allowing you to stop stressing.

Smiling also clearly indicates to other people that you’re open to meeting new people and therefore propels you towards many opportunities for networking. Smiling might take a little extra effort at first, but it will definitely pay off in the end when you have attracted many new potential members to your social circle.

# Know the types of friends you want

Ideally, this should be the first step in figuring out how to find people who would fit into your social circle. Try and figure out whom you would actually want in your life. Think and make a list of a few qualities, character traits or interests that you like. This is important because it allows you to quickly tell if a person you meet could be a great fit for your new and improved social life.

You also have to be able to strike a balance between quantity and quality. Of course, you would like to have a large enough number of people in your social sphere, but you’d also want to make sure that you have at least a couple of deep, meaningful relationships within the people in that circle. Finding the ratio that you want would also make it easier for you to find people you’d be willing to connect with.

# Connect with connectors

An amazing way to expand your social circle is to connect with people who already have a fairly large social network. This way, you can meet many new people, all through one contact.

Connectors are people who have a thriving social life already and always seem to be surrounded a big group of people. These connectors are generally excited to meet new people, so they’ll be much easier to bond with.

While most connectors are extroverts, they might not have the time or energy to invest in a deep relationship with you. But they’re an interesting addition to your social life, as they can help connect you to those who are looking for deeper relationships.

# Constantly make the effort to meet new people

Usually, not every single person you meet will become a friend or be in your life forever, so it’s smart to always be in touch with new people – it’s like constantly having new options.

The best way to keep meeting new people is to go to places where others will be open to meeting you as well. This could be opening nights, galas, cultural events, seminars, talks and even specific networking events. These types of places aren’t always what you might choose to do with your weekend, but they can result in expanding your network to a wide variety of different and interesting people.

# Establish your own value

Networking and making new friends isn’t just about what kind of people you’re meeting, it’s also about what value you present to the people that you meet. When meeting new people, one of the things that make them consider keeping in touch with you is your ability to offer something of value to them.

To put forward a giver attitude when meeting new people, you can do two things. First, you can really listen to what they are saying, look at the situation through their perspective and also offer your story or opinion.

The second way is to see how you could possibly help them, whether offering your professional advice or a new perspective. Even if you’re no expert, giving feedback can often leave a positive impression.

# Stay in touch

It’s definitely hard to keep in touch when you’ve got a super busy schedule, but sometimes staying in touch is one of the most important parts of your social life. This is a surefire way to keep your social circle alive by making meaningful and lasting connections.

You need to follow up with people you’ve just met, and catch up with old friends that you haven’t seen in ages. You don’t have to pester them on a daily basis. What you can do is send them a message from time to time just to let them know that you value your connection with them.

# Get online

Most of us already use social media every day. Why not put it to work and use it to reach out to old friends, stay connected and meet new people?

If you dig a little deeper into the online world, you can find tons of different sites dedicated to finding people with similar interests, thus allowing you to connect with them. Whether you join an online book club or you host a Twitter chat about your industry, you are bound to meet some really awesome people that you can potentially add to your personal or professional social sphere.