It’s completely normal to want to be popular to be more sociable. After all, most people are attracted to popular individuals. People are more interested in getting to know another person if they have the reputation of being popular. If it’s for the sake of having a better and healthier social life, this is a goal you’ll definitely want to have.
That said, though, being popular is easier said than done. Most people want it, but not everyone wants to go through the hassle of getting it. You’ll need to be motivated enough if you want to be popular socially. Along with these following tips, you’ll become more popular socially so that you’ll finally be able to get the friends you want.
Know what it means to be popular socially
Since your goal is to be popular so you can have a healthier social life, you’ll need to know what it means to be socially popular. Don’t approach this as being popular in a conventional manner. You’re not aiming to be popular to gain adoration, you’re doing this to be more sociable.
Being socially popular means you have the reputation of someone everybody wants to become friends with. It means you’re the type of person anyone would want to have as a friend. That’s the kind of image you’ll want to have and maintain.
It’s important that you keep this in mind now so that you don’t lose track of your main goal later on.
Have an approachable appearance
Look approachable and those around you will never hesitate to go up to you. First things first, though. How can you have an approachable appearance?
What you’ll need to do is to make sure you look neat and tidy no matter where you go. Make sure to take care of your physical appearance. You can do this by keeping a clean and properly maintained haircut, trimming your nails, ironing your clothes, etc.
Have the look of someone presentable and respectable. This might sound like a piece of advice that only affects the surface level of the matter, but it most definitely counts. It’s superficial, yes, but you’ll want to pay heed to it since your goal is to be popular socially.
Another piece of advice you’ll want to follow in relation to this is to be a bit more fashionable. If this is not your area of expertise, request assistance from someone who knows their fashion. Ask them to help you out with getting new clothes that are more presentable and stylish.
Be friendlier to everyone you meet
From now on, start being friendly to everyone you meet. It doesn’t matter who they are and where you are. Besides, it never hurts to be friendly overall. This tip alone will completely change the way you approach socializing.
You don’t necessarily have to engage everyone you meet in conversation. A simple nod, a friendly smile, and a kind greeting will do. Do this with everyone you meet. If there’s a stranger who meets your eyes as you go about your day, greet them. Treat waiters, baristas, bartenders, and whoever the same way.
When you’re at work or in school, or wherever it is you go on a regular basis, make sure you greet those around you. Be friendly to them. You’ll want to make sure to have this friendly reputation among those you spend the most time with.
Do volunteer work
Another thing you can do to be popular socially is to do volunteer work. It is an honorable and respectable thing to do. A lot of socially popular people do them. When someone does volunteer work, the others around them tend to look up to them. They find them admirable and decent. These are characteristics of a socially popular person. Naturally, these are characteristics you’ll want to have.
Don’t do volunteer work simply for the sake of being popular, of course. That will be selfish and you’ll just come off as such. A lot of people will be able to see right through this fakery.
That said, find a place to volunteer where you really believe in what they do. For example, if you’re an animal lover, volunteer at your local animal shelter. That way, you’ll actually enjoy volunteering there. Your love for the purpose will be reflected in your actions.
Be helpful to everyone around you
Another thing you can do to be popular socially is to be helpful. Be the kind of person others can rely on. Whenever someone around you needs help, go out of your way to help them out. No matter how big or small of a matter it is.
This can be something as minor as holding a door for someone or keeping an elevator door open for them. It can also be something substantial like workload. If someone at work needs help with a task and you have free time to allot, help them out.
Whatever it is that makes someone else’s life or day easier and better, be there to help them. This goes hand-in-hand with friendliness as well. As long as you’re able to keep these things up, you’re well on your way.
Be more open-minded
Keeping an open mind is a good way to avoid conflicts. That’s one thing you’ll want to do if you want to be popular amongst your peers. It is inevitable that you’ll meet people who have various opinions and beliefs. Not everyone will share yours.
With that said, you also don’t need to force others to share your beliefs, nor do you need to adhere to theirs. Agreeing to disagree is one of the best things you can do in certain situations. As long as you’re open-minded, this is something you can make happen.
Don’t let others push you around
While it’s good to be friendly, helpful, and kind, you also shouldn’t allow others to just push you around. There’s a fine line here you’ll want to balance.
For example, you can help someone out if they need something from you. However, if they’re insistent on letting you do all the work while they receive all the credit, that’s something you shouldn’t allow.
You’ll know when you’re being pushed around when someone is actively taking advantage of you, rather than just asking you for assistance. When this happens, politely say no. Be honest about it. Better yet, tell them you’re willing to help them out, but only if they work alongside you as well.
Master the art of conversation
Conversations make and break friendships. It will also affect the way others see you. If you’re someone who’s capable of making proper conversations, others will see you as socially skilled. More people will feel comfortable speaking to you. The more people you speak to, the more popular you’ll be.
That’s why you’ll need to master the art of conversation. By doing this, you’re doing those you’ll be having conversations with a service. Their time speaking with you will be worthwhile.
To do this, you’ll need to know how to voice out your thoughts properly. You’ll need to make sure everyone around you understands everything you’re saying. You’ll also need to know how to balance conversations. Make sure the other person is speaking up as much as you are.
This field covers a lot of areas. Mastering the art of conversation is an entirely different social skill, but it matters greatly if you want to be popular. For that, be sure to refer to the other articles on this site that talks about conversation techniques. From small talk to telling stories, you’ll learn everything you’ll need for making conversations by reading those articles. Be sure to take the time to read them after you’re done with this one.
Be better at your field
If you want to be popular, you’ll also need to focus on another aspect of yourself aside from your social life. You’ll also need to work on your personal goals. People tend to look up to those who are successful or are at least doing well in their fields.
Whether you’re a working professional or a student, do well in what you do and others will look up to you. This will eventually help you become more popular. Aside from that, it will also serve you personally. Not only will you succeed in your goal of being more socially popular, but your personal life will also flourish.
Read more
This is a minor thing you can do, but it will help you with your goal to become more socially popular. Read more. Read articles about current events. That way, you’re caught and are able to make conversation in case they come up. It will also make you more knowledgeable about what’s going on with the world currently. You’ll be able to inform and educate if you need to.
You should also take the time to read fiction and non-fiction books. These will greatly expand your mind. See this as a way of strengthening your mind, like going to the gym strengthens your body.
Be physically healthier
Speaking of going to the gym, there are a lot of reasons why doing this will help you become more socially popular.
For example, it boosts your self-esteem. It’s been widely researched that working out and becoming physically healthier affects your mental health. The more you work out, the more confident you’ll be. You’ll love being in your skin. This, in turn, will help you behave in a more sociable manner when you’re out there meeting new people.
When you look good and feel good, you’ll become happier overall. This is a trait a lot of socially popular people have. You can make this happen for you as well. You can do that by being physically healthier.
If going to the gym doesn’t cut it out for you, there are multiple ways to become physically healthier. You can do cardiovascular activities such as hiking or swimming. You can also practice yoga. Whatever it is, as long as it makes you physically healthier, and as long as you’re comfortable with it, add it to your routine.
Be more positive and warm
Having a warmer and more positive demeanor will help you become more popular. People enjoy being around someone who’s positive, after all. You just need to be that type of person.
You can do this by keeping an optimistic mindset. Despite everything that’s going on, and despite the reality that there are a lot of horrible things in the world, don’t let that affect your personality. Even though things can be grim, that doesn’t mean you should be too. Don’t add more darkness to darkness. Be the beacon of light others will become drawn towards.
This mindset is harder to keep, especially if you’re someone who’s not used to being positive. However, as long as you keep reminding yourself to be more positive and warm, you’ll eventually become a natural at it.
Never put other people down
No matter what you do, it is important that you never put other people down. It will bring you no benefits when you talk about others behind their back, saying horrible things about them to other people. In fact, it will only make you a horrible person. That’s the opposite of what you want to become if you want to be more popular.
Keep this in mind. If you have nothing good to say about somebody, don’t talk about them at all. Don’t actively put others down. You should be doing the complete opposite of that. You should be lifting others up. That said…
Encourage people around you
This is what you should be doing if you want to be popular. Encourage the people around you. Help them become better versions of themselves. If you’re to talk about someone in front of others, make sure to say good things about them. Help them become more popular, just as you’re trying to be.
Know your strengths and weaknesses
Knowing your strengths and weaknesses is good advice to take if you want to be more popular. In fact, it’s good advice to take if you want to become better at socializing overall.
If you know what your strengths are, you’ll know what to use and what to do when interacting with others. For example, if you know you’re a good storyteller, you can then do that when speaking in front of others. You can entice them with your stories. If you’re someone who’s naturally funny, you can use humor to your advantage.
If you know what your weaknesses are, you’ll know which aspects of yourself you’ll need to work on. A socially popular person strives to be as socially skilled as possible. If you have social weaknesses, work on them. For example, if you have social anxiety, then you’ll know to work on that first.
Practice humor
Everybody likes a funny person. They always know what to do to make any situation lighter. They can make everyone in the room laugh in ecstasy. However, not everyone is a naturally funny person.
If you are one, then great! Be sure to take advantage of that. Know how to use your humor to make those around you laugh and become happier. If you’re not naturally funny, don’t worry. This is a skill you can learn in time and with practice.
Being funny is a science in and of itself. It’s something that requires time and patience to master. For starters, you can reflect on moments from your past that you find hilarious. You should then practice telling that in a concise and funny manner. Tell that story in such a way that it’s interesting to listen to and the punch line at the end is as funny as can be.
Watch stand-up comedians for this. Observe how they set up their stories. See how the words they say during the setup make the punch line much funnier. Follow their structures.
This is just one of the first things you can do. Eventually, as you become more natural when it comes to humor, you can then formulate your own jokes You’ll also learn when it’s most appropriate to make jokes and when it’s time to be more serious.
Be the initiator
You can help yourself become more popular by being the initiator. Instead of waiting on others to go up to you, go up to them. Spark up conversations. Introduce yourself to as many people as you can. Be the kind of friendly person who’s not ashamed of interacting with anybody.
If you’re someone who’s not used to socializing, this idea can be very intimidating. And it is! But it’s something you’ll need to get used to, not only to be popular socially but also to become more socially skilled.
Get used to speaking in front of a crowd
When you finally become socially popular, you’ll be in situations where you’ll be speaking in front of multiple people at once. Start getting used to this idea now. Otherwise, you’ll only become intimidated once you’re finally in that situation.
The best way to avoid getting intimidated by a large crowd is to not think of it as a large crowd. Instead, focus on each individual. When you speak, look at one person, then after a few seconds, look at another. Transfer your focus from one individual to another. This way, you’ll also be able to connect with each of them equally.
Learn how to properly deal with problems and conflicts
Even though you should be someone who goes out of their way to avoid problems and conflicts, you’ll also need to know how to properly deal with them should they arise. After all, some problems and conflicts can happen regardless of how hard you try to avoid them.
That said, whenever a problem or a conflict arises, don’t run away from it. Instead, be the person who faces them head-on. Solve your problems and resolve your conflicts before they turn into something worse. You’ll become highly unpopular if people realize you’re the type to neglect problems.
Avoid making questionable choices
This one is definitely easier said than done, but just keep this in mind from here on out. If you want to be popular socially, do your best to avoid making questionable choices. For example, if someone asks you out for a drink or two when you should be at a formal meeting, don’t make the questionable choice of picking the former. This will make others doubt your integrity.
Do your best to make choices that are best for you in the long run. Keep this in mind moving forward. It will also make your overall quality of life infinitely better.
Learn how to become more empathetic
One of the best things you can do if you want to be popular is to practice how to be more empathetic. With empathy, you’ll be able to easily connect with others. You’ll be able to say the things the other person needs you to say. You’ll feel their emotions. Therefore, you can respond to them appropriately.
Empathy is one of the best social skills you can have, whether you want to be popular or not. That said, actively try to be more empathetic from now on. Whenever you’re engaged in conversation with someone, make sure to turn on your empathetic nature. Feel the way they feel. Listen closely to their stories so you can put yourself in their shoes.
Improve your social skills
Finally, if you want to be popular socially, improve your social skills. This is the best thing you can do for yourself. Socializing covers a lot of aspects and territories. You won’t be able to master all of them overnight, but you can begin by researching now.
That said, be sure to read the other articles on this site. Gain as many social skills as you can. Practice them as often as you can. The more social skills you master, the faster it will be for you to be popular.
Your goal to be popular shouldn’t be caused by a need to be worshipped. It should be because you want to befriend as many people as possible. If this is indeed the case for you, you’ll already off to a great start!
Just be sure to practice everything you’ve read here, and more. Be patient and remain persistent. You’ll get there eventually.