I often see it here recommended to start new hobbies to meet people and socialize. What are the hobbies that helped you meet people and make friends?

42 comments

  2. I found that joining a local sports club like kickboxing not only allowed me to stay fit but also helped me make long-lasting friendships with like-minded individuals.

  3. Hiking club- it’s really social, and usually attracts really nice, down to earth people

  4. In my case the only one that qualifies as a hobby would be table tennis, but while I’m friendly with the folks there, they’re older on average and no one is looking for new friends. The people I actually hang out with nowadays I’ve either met through:
    – Bumble bff
    – Dating apps (dates went well but we agreed to being friends)
    – Local events for people new in town
    – or they’re just friends from childhood, school or uni.

  6. Hobbies? Uhm, try taking a non-student university course at your local college? They’re called “public learning opportunity” courses.

    I think there should be some general courses like figure drawing, architecture, foreign languages, world music, etc.

    This would enroll you into a regular class with people you could establish a shared identity with. And you would learn something.

    Learning can be a hobby.

  7. Buying VR & learning VR-ASL(American Sign Language) on VRChat 👌
    You meet lots of people to chat & practice sign with; hearing, mute, HoH, and d/Deaf people. It’s a fun way to communicate, and it lets you talk to people you normally couldn’t really talk with if you hadn’t learned
    And while VR-ASL differs from real life sign, it’s similar enough to understand both for the most part, so if you live in a place where people use ASL IRL, you can use it both online and real life 😀 though I would advise you to learn the real signs as well
    Also, you don’t necessarily need a headset to learn as you can play VRC on desktop, but it definitely helps :p

  11. Snowboarding/skiing. Going solo people usually make conversations on the lifts going up

  13. attending and performing at harsh noise shows. any niche kind of music community has been a great place to make friends, in my experience.

  14. Stumbled upon a 24 hours boardgame event on facebook. Went because i wanted to try boardgames – found my people.

  17. Rock climbing is filled with people ready and willing to start conversations. It’s kinda wild actually. Ultimate frisbee is also a pretty fun low stakes sport with a high skill cap.

  18. Chess, and Rubik’s cubes. I brought my chess board to school hoping to make some friends. I met my boyfriend, best friend, and a couple of buddies that way. The Rubik’s cube was to help with the anxiety. I didn’t expect people to want to talk to me about it.

  19. Anime conventions. My entire friend circle, even the roommates I’ve had, are from fandom. It’s fantastic! There are many branches of it too, art, fanfic, cosplay, gaming, watching and discussing shows, fashion (street fashion and EGL), cooking too. Because while the people you meet at an anime con may like the same subject (anime) as you, from there their interests wildly branch out into different genres and sub-hobbies. Just join an Anime meetup or discord! Even if you’re in the older crowd, us fandom olds are still finding each other!

  20. Playing piano (this works for any other instrument). But in order to make this hobby social, you need to be very good at playing it and you need to consistently play in public. Alternatively, create a social media profile and upload videos of your own performances.

    People gravitate towards people who exhibit a level of competence (or in fact mastery) at something that takes time and effort. The more you establish yourself in your hobby i.e. the more you work towards it and get good at it, people will notice it. They will respect you and view you as the expert who is confident in that hobby.

  21. YOGA! Get know like minded people in my small town. It is really nice. We support each other.

    Also Bhakti Yoga, going to local Hindu temple. I learned so much and met so many amazing people from all over the world!

  22. Baking — I usually join clubs or discuss it with others and we just bake and show off to each other lol

  23. kpop! met many online friends at concerts and still meet up with them once in a while to catch up even if there’s no concert and even if some of them are not much into kpop anymore

  24. I started volunteering at an art gallery and I joined a book/writing club! Im not the most athletic but i used to be a long distance runner. Doing some rec sports are good too, i know pickle ball is really popular now

  25. Board games. Nice and quiet for shy people. Same group every week for slow burn friendship

  26. Literally any hobby or interest you have, google it with the word club and your local city after and you will find people that already share that in common with you, you start by talking about that and before you know it you have new friends, you visit each others places, go for food and all sorts

  27. Straight Egyptian Arabian Horses. I have met some of the most fun people who share the passion of saving this beautiful horse and history! Beauty is you don’t have to have a horse to join in the excitement and be apart of something larger than us!

  28. Improv comedy classes are pricey, but it’s a great way to meet new people who trend nerdy and friendly.

  29. What I learned from reading all the comments is… Act on your unique passions and you will always find friends and relationships that’s not based on neediness.. BUT your interests and passions (which makes you—who… you… are).

  31. Improv works really great! It’s a lot easier to make friends when there’s a lot of laughter and being ok with making fools of yourselves involved.
    Also, you create something together as a group, and have scenes and unexpected high points to laugh about later.

  32. Volunteering helping some old lady out or even at church outreach are helping the homeless there’s all kinds of different things you can do in life that would be good to help people and at the same time you meet good people that’s not going to miss you or mistreat you or look down on you or judge you

  33. While doing communal activities together, how do ppl “make friends”? I’m usually just doing the activity by myself, there’s never a bridge to gap the social part of communal activities. I don’t assimilate into groups easily. Help pls.

  34. Anything having to do with nature and animals. Swear you’ll meet the kindest and funniest people that way

  35. I wanna say volunteering. Wouldn’t say I made life long friends that way but a lot of people.

  36. I joined a writing group and wasn’t expecting to make friends but a couple people started having lunch after and invited me and we’re getting along. I’ve done many different activities and taken classes before but I had a hard time making friends. I feel like I’m able to be myself most around them because we share what we write and are vulnerable with each other in that sense.

  37. There’s quite a bit of commitment and learning involved, but skateboarding is full of people who are willing to help you progress and welcome you into the community. We may have a negative stigma around being punk outcasts or being disrespectful, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s definitely worth trying out if you’re semi physically fit and have some physical coordination.

  38. Every hobby I had in my life helped me meet many people and form strong connection! Mainly music and dancing related hobbies tho

  39. Go take the MSF course and get a motorcycle! Go ride everyday, its a hobby that is gender neutral, attracts all sorts of people, young and old. Look for groups in your area on Facebook. If it is your first bike, get a HONDA GROM!

  40. Crew/rowing.

    I was insanely lonely and depressed before and since I’ve joined I’ve made so many amazing friends.

  41. Circus arts! Poledance, silks, Lyra, flow arts, etc that community is incredibly tight and a lot of camaraderie , especially in pole. You’re exercising, having fun, suffering through new tricks together, accomplishing said tricks together, you naturally going to make friends and its a huge confidence booster!

  42. Just talk to people! It may seem weird and awkward and hard at first. But Ive met plenty of new friends doing it. Last week I was running around the park and saw some dude shooting around on the basketball court. I asked him if he wanted to 1v1 and we ended up playing against 2 other people and we all went bar hopping afterwards.

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