9 Simple but Original Ways to Meet New People Americans today assign greater value to friendship but report having fewer close friends. That’s according to the Survey Center on American Life . In a survey in 2021, it found that just under 50 percent of respondents believed they would be happier if they had more friends. In other words, a whole lot of us could benefit from making more friends — and what better time to start than in a month devoted to love and friendshi p? Still, that prospect can be intimidating for various reasons: The effort involved – Many people associate meeting people with planned events ( m eetup s that require rsvp ’ s, nights out clubbing with friends , etc.) . These types of social events often require some level of effort to pull off. Even if the scheduling involves just one friend, it takes some planning on top of an already busy life . Social anxiety – A lot of people struggle with feelings of social anxiety and may only be a