Making friends is an amazing part of life. Not only does it give you the social outlet you need to flourish as a human but sharing stories and having lifelong friends is a blessing.

For many people, our friends are the friends we met in high school or college. This can stunt our friend-making ability in later years because we’ve become stagnant in our current friendships. Sometimes we just need some advice on how to become close friends with someone and forge meaningful friendships with the new people that we meet in our lives.

When it comes time for you to become close friends with someone, follow this guide to help you connect to a new person in a platonic yet deeply meaningful way.

Listen & Learn

Meeting up for lunch or coffee is a great opportunity to get to know your new friend. Be sure that during conversation, you listen to what they’re telling you about their life, interests and passions. Take note of what they’re particularly excited about and ask them more about it. Get them talking about their favorite subjects and they’ll become closer to you. In this way you become close friend with someone.

Plan Activities

Past casual lunch or coffee meetings, planning exciting activities can bring two people closer together. Bike rides, long walks, and short road trips are all great ways for a friendship to mature. If you really want to know how to become close friends with someone, these...