Secrets to making new friends

Let's face it, the older you get the harder it is to make new friends. When you're a kid, you can make friends playing at the park, fully knowing you probably won't see them again ever in your life after that hour is over. In high school making friends is a little harder, and once you've hit 30—you pretty much stay home and pet your cat.

A study conducted by the University of Kansas found that two adult people need to spend about 90 hours with each other to be considered friends, and over 200 in order to be considered close friends. If you're struggling to get even one hour of time outside of work, here are a few tips to get you started.

Join a group

You can't meet friends without—well--meeting them. A group of like minded people is a great way to find potential friendships. Joining a cycling group, a mom meet up, or a kickboxing class are all great ways to meet people who enjoy doing the same things you do. Websites like meetup.com help you find people in your area with your interests, making finding these groups a lot easier.

Connect

Remember how you made friends in kindergarten? You walked up to someone on the playground and asked them if they wanted to be friends. Realistically, as an adult this is awkward and uncomfortable, but striking up a conversation isn't. Talking with other people is the first step to making friends, and when you find someone in one of these groups you mesh with, asking if they want to hang out at a different time, or inviting them to a different event, isn't weird. They're probably trying to figure out if you want to hang out too.