How to make new friends: as explained by the Networks book
Friends are really important. Even our Networks textbook acknowledges this, sharing the fun fact that teenage girls who have a low clustering coefficient are more likely to contemplate suicide. So, when I came across the article “7 Tips For Making New Friends” (https://www.huffingtonpost.com/gretchen-rubin/7-tips-for-making-new-fri_b_169776.html), I immediately clicked into it. I will summarize the tips given, while also showing how the concepts learned in Networks ties in.
- Just simply seeing and being around someone can make you guys like each other more. These people will probably start off as weak ties, and your connection with them will seem pretty trivial, but that doesn’t mean they’re not important. If all goes as planned, you make a new good friend, and your weak tie becomes a strong tie. If not, well then you’ll have a weak connection, from whom you can gain valuable information.
- When you join an activity or group, you’ll instantly become surrounded by potential friends. Even if not everyone likes each other, subgroups — or components — will form where everyone in the subset will like each other. Instant friend group!
- If you start your own group, you’ll be in the center of a very interconnected graph — your very own ego network. You’ll know every and have a lot of social power. Go you!
- Say nice things to people and make them like you. By the strong triadic closure property, a stable group of 3 can have either one or three positive connections. By being nice to people you can ensure you are always part of those positive connections, and not the one in the group that everyone else hates.
- Set a goal for the number of new friends you want to make. If you meet that goal, you’ll have a lot of connections. It’s ok if those connections are random and scattered. You’ll be a local bridge and you get to control the spread of information. The power is in your hands.
- Smile? Goes along with being nice I guess.
- Make friends with your friends’ friends. It’ll be easier, since you’ve already got that mutual connection.
Now get out there and meet some people. Good luck!