Friendships are formed most easily when people work together over a period of time on a shared mission.<p>Find something that you want to do &amp; go do it with other like-minded people. Talk to them about more than just the thing you are doing together, put the effort into getting to know them. Eventually some of them will become friends.<p>This is why you hear all the advice to &#x27;join a club&#x27;, &#x27;join a sports team&#x27;, &#x27;go to church&#x27;, &#x27;volunteer somewhere&#x27; etc etc. But just joining up isn’t enough - you still have to put the effort in to make those personal connections.<p>It’s a long, slow process: we don’t realise how long it takes when we’re young because the experiences of youth (school, college) automatically create the conditions in which friendships can grow and flourish. Once we’re adults, those conditions no longer automatically happen &amp; we have to put the effort in to making them happen ourselves.<p>In the meantime, actually doing something that you believe is worthwhile alongside other people is a great salve for loneliness, even if they aren’t &#x27;friends&#x27; at that point in time.