Talking to someone sounds terrifying, right? Well, making friends with people actually connects through our interests. Just making small talk can help find someone or even a group like you.

We, as people, underestimate and doubt ourselves, trying to talk with someone we don’t know. Adding on, we experience social anxiety, preventing us from making new friends and conversations. The truth is this brings us closer, allowing us to relate with other people. The truth is this brings us closer, allowing us to relate with other people.

Similarly, in today’s society, social media websites like TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, etc… have brought us closer. Finding as well as understanding who we are has dawned on us and many people have taken hobbies as a restoration, but also made a connection with someone in the world.

Over the years, games were introduced and people started playing instead of going outside with friends. Then, when social aspects of life seemed hopeless, gaming and social media became the new way to communicate with friends and family online. Gaming researchers have stated “Gamers turned to their Nintendo, Playstation, and Xbox devices as time spent at home increased in 2020—monthly digital console gamers saw a larger increase than any other gaming device, growing by 6.3% from 2019” (US Video Game Industry: Trends & Forecast 2022 – Insider Intelligence).

A different way to connect with people is animals, the lovable and adorable critters. In the film “Encanto”, a capybara is shown as a sarcastic, fearless personality and overall many fans are fascinated by this creature. Canyon 11th grade math teacher, Mrs. Nasta said, “I feel connected to dogs because looking into their eyes I feel I can see into their souls.” From that, people favor animals and that makes us connected with other people, just exploring how we feel as animals gives a better understanding of people.

If any other part that brings us closer would be culture, we enjoy the closeness and bonds that are created. According to Sara Naidoo, a researcher has stated, “Cross-cultural friendships teach us that everyone has a different way of coping with similar challenges they are facing”(Why Cross-Cultural Friendships Are Invaluable). Interacting with that concept we as people don’t understand how other people feel and experiencing through them with different cultures can actually help expand our unbiased opinions.

Another aspect of life that links us together is food and drinks, or enjoying plain everyday tasks with friends. A trending drink is boba, a cold, sweet, refreshing drink that’s enjoyable to have with friends. Researchers have found that the sales in boba tea have increased, stated by “The global bubble tea market size was USD 2.1 billion in 2019 and is expected to register a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.9% from 2020 to 2027”(Bubble Tea Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report ).

The bonds made between each other strengthens our interests once we meet someone that likes similar things. Loving and enjoying makes interests, also making a stronger community of friends that everyone needs or even loves.