[JoeS21]

Let's say you move to a new city or your close friends move away, etc. Now you wish you had more friends. What would YOU do?

Me: In my case friendships "just happen." I cannot explain it and am no use when it comes to answering this question. I wish I could and would appreciate your response based on your own experience.

Additional Questions:

How do YOU attempt to get past being "acquaintances" and deepen a relationship to a "friendship?"

Do you have any advice specifically for "busy" people without much spare time who want to meet new people and make new friends?

Do you have any specific advice for disabled people who have trouble leaving the house who want to make new friends and meet new people?

Do you have any specific advice for individuals who are highly sensitive (due to a biological condition such as a "sensitivity disorder") and need their friends to be reasonably positive, or at least not super negative and depressing, most of the time? (I hear that most people looking for friendship online are super miserable and have bad energy.... This may be false.)

Any specific advice for meeting smart people? (I've heard that the easiest people to meet are often those that one can "run mental laps around.")

How do YOU screen out and deal with those you find undesirable (or even "sticky") on your search for new friends and acquaintances?

[krisakira]

How do you get past being acquaintances and be friends:

My therapist has told me that the way to get friends in school (I am in college) is to start talking to them about things outside of school related topics, that way we have a connection that goes beyond just school. So maybe for work buddies, try talking about something more personal like family or hobbies.

Note: I have not succeeded in this yet.

[HockingPastryChef]

I'm guessing you are the people you are describing.

How I meet new friends is being friendly and starting conversations with others.

How to become more than acquaintances, I ask to exchange numbers and hangout. Then I choose to get to know the person more.

If you have trouble leaving the house, I would take one step at a time going out and about when getting to know others to overcome your sensitivity.

For a busy person you only can do so much hangout or talk on the phone when you do have time. you can always e-mail back and forth between the hours that you have to spare.

And last but not least is that you need to get to know someone more to know if they are someone who you want to be friends with. You learn through time...

Plus if someone is complaining too much you can always tell them that you would like to talk about something more positive.

Social media works relatively well, in my opinion, to help people with busy lifestyles (like me) stay in touch with family and friends. With that said, the most meaningful kind of relationship you can form with a person, in some respects, can only be done through interaction in person. Going on to some points that haven't been discussed in posts above:

Advice for disabled people who have trouble leaving the house: get people to come over and visit! Have family or people you're living with help out and plan times to get people to come over!

Advice for meeting "smart" people. Well, personally I have an issue with the concept of what it means to be "smart" - does it mean book/school smart, street smart, etc. I think each one of us is smart in some shape or form and we all have things to teach each other and learn from each other. There are many kinds of 'smart' in my opinion. What kind of 'smart' are you thinking about, OP?

[HelixSogol]

Well, I'm struggling with the whole friendship thing as well, but one thing I have learnt: scratch busy from that list. If you want friends, you need to make time for them. That is the first step.

Also, from experience, I've met some wonderful people on the net. But then again, it probably depends on where you meet them. I have had more luck with sites like last.fm (I like music, your interests may differ), tumblr or discussion forums than dedicated sites. It's probably that you can find people with similar interests and worldview easier that way. However, online friends can never replace someone you can meet in the flesh, so don't rely on this. Reach out to people around.

Oh, and one more thing. Even if you make the first step, tell yourself you won't feel pressured into getting close with a person if you're not enjoying their company. It should make it easier to reach out without being too picky. (Are they smart? Do we have much in common? Will they be downers? No way to learn if you don't try talking to them!)