Friendship is one of the joys of life. Friends serve as pillars of support and ensure we don’t go through life’s challenges and wins alone, but making friends doesn’t always come easily. This challenge is especially true for introverted people who find it hard to form connections and instead remain in their thoughts than socialize.

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According to research, only 27% of Introverted personalities actively seek new friendships, compared to 68% of Extroverted personalities. This process presents a massive problem because making friends isn’t always a straightforward process, especially once we’ve passed the age of summer camp and organized sports. Here are some tips introverts can apply in their lives to make new friends.  In terms of interaction, 67% of Introverts say they feel more comfortable with online conversations than in person. While you can totally make friends online, sometimes face-to-face interactions help too. In-person conversations also help relieve loneliness more effectively than chatting online or by phone. As convenient as texting or email, having friends with whom you can plan an enjoyable movie or games night is fun. Although there’s the general advice to “come out of your shell” or “broaden your horizons,” you don’t always need to pursue new activities to meet new people.

Instead, finding people who share similar hobbies, activities, or schools of thinking can help you form enduring friendships. Introverted persons are generally drawn to hobbies that can be done alone, such as reading, hiking, and watching movies. You may also join an online book club or review group, check into movie clubs, or take virtual art lessons to meet people who share your interests. Finally, we may believe that we must be our best selves to make friends. We might even be afraid and aware of our own inadequacies/flaws. However, making friends does not necessitate a total transformation of your genuine self. It may seem like the most straightforward approach to “fake it till you make it” is to put on an act of extroversion, but this could backfire. Personality traits are notoriously difficult to change. You’re still the same person with the same need for solitude at the end of the day.