how to find good girlfriends, how to find girlfriends, ways to find friends

“It's the friends you can call up at 4 a.m. that matter.” --Marlene Dietrich

There is nothing better than having close girlfriends—people to laugh, cry and talk with for hours. A Harvard Study even found that the more friends a woman has, the healthier she’ll be as she ages*. Whether you have many or just a few, when it comes to girlfriends you can always have some more. Here are a few simple ways to make new friends.

Hang Out with Coworkers.
You spend more than 40 hours a week with these people, but that doesn’t mean you should skip the office happy hour. Consider them your built-in social network. My friend Linda was nervous when she moved to Michigan to start a new job. “I left all my friends and family at home,” she says. But now she’s close with her mostly male coworkers—and their wives and girlfriends. “Now I’m constantly meeting people who are becoming part of my circle.”

Work Your Alumni Association.
Alumni organizations are great social (and career networking) opportunities. Many organize outings, volunteer opportunities, happy hours and more. Having gone to the same school as the other attendees gives you an instant topic of conversation.

Use the Internet.
One great tool is MeetUp.com, a website that connects people with shared interests. There are hundreds of MeetUp groups in big cities and small alike, catering to people who like to go to movies, take photographs, discuss politics and even hunt for ghosts. And if you don’t click with a group, there’s no obligation to return.

And Facebook isn’t just a way for you to let the world know your taste in music and movies. Once you join your regional network, scope out your close friends’ profiles and see if they have any friends living nearby. You can ask your buddies to set you up on blind friendship dates.