How to Meet Guys When You're a Teen
ELISE WILE
LIFE
If you have decided that none of the guys in your immediate social circle live up to your standards, it's time to give yourself more options. While meeting new guys can seem difficult, it is easier than it looks if you are willing to make an effort to step out of your comfort zone and embrace new ways of interacting with the world.
1 Take a Chance
Don't be shy about approaching a guy you like and saying "Hi." Your next boyfriend may be right under your nose in the guise of the cute boy in your Spanish class whom you haven't yet met. Seize the day and find a reason to strike up a conversation. Try something like this: "Hey, the Spanish club is meeting today, do you want to stop by and cook empanadas with us?" See where the conversation goes from there. While every encounter won't result in a date, you'll widen your net by cultivating the outgoing side of your personality.
2 Broaden Your Horizens
You probably follow a routine from day to day. You get up, ride the bus to school, go to your classes, come home and play video games with your friend until your mom bugs you to do homework. To meet guys, you'll have to break out of doing the same old thing and expand your opportunities. Try signing up to learn skateboarding skills or join a mixed-gender dance troupe to meet more guys. Not only will you enjoy more social opportunities, but you'll become a more interesting person, which will make you more attractive.
3 Make New Friends
One of the best ways to meet men is to go and have fun with other women, says psychologist Christie Hartman in the article, "The Key to Meeting Men? A Friend," on the website SocialJane.com. Not only will you keep going new places and doing new things -- which will put you in contact with new guys -- but the pressure will be off when you want to talk to a new guy, since you're all just having fun. When you hang out with other girls, they will alert you when their creep detector goes off, creating a safer environment to get to know members of the opposite sex.
4 Adopt a Cause
Volunteer to do something important to you, such as manning a table promoting a new club at school, writes Sophia Dembling in the Psychology Today article, "Survey Says: How to Meet New People." You'll meet guys who share the same interest, and it will be the perfect opportunity to strike up conversations with total strangers with a minimum of awkwardness. If you're not interested in any of the organizations your school has to offer, start your own. You'll meet more guys than you ever dreamed possible.
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