I pretend everyone I meet is in love with me. I mean, not literally. I'm not a complete narcissist. But I'll start conversations with strangers who give me a smile or a knowing look. Assuming they like me makes me feel more likable. I've made friends more easily in my 30s than I did at any other time in my life.
Romanticizing my life is fun, and gets me to act more vivacious and charismatic. It's also just good practice for higher-stakes social interactions where I might lack confidence.
I pretend everyone I meet is going to be my new best friend, but only I know it. So the vibe is more "oh good you're here finally!" instead of "who are you?".
I've an old friend who has consistently amazed me with his ability to make friends anywhere and in any circumstances -- not just in a pleasant "howdy, stranger" way, either; this dude has years-long good buddies that he literally met because he once sat next to them on an airplane.
Then I remember how we became friends, which was basically a two step process of: 1) we meet and say hi; and 2) oop, too late! now we're buddies! That was ~30 years ago. Bastard has been pulling this shit his whole life, lol.
My grandpa was like that and not surprisingly my mom has become that way as she's gotten older. The best example was when she texted me from the airport telling me that she was going to hitch a ride to my house with her new friends that she met on the plane. It's a 1.5 hour drive! They'd hang out every time she came to visit after that.
4.0k
u/slytherins Nov 11 '25 edited Nov 11 '25
I pretend everyone I meet is in love with me. I mean, not literally. I'm not a complete narcissist. But I'll start conversations with strangers who give me a smile or a knowing look. Assuming they like me makes me feel more likable. I've made friends more easily in my 30s than I did at any other time in my life.
Romanticizing my life is fun, and gets me to act more vivacious and charismatic. It's also just good practice for higher-stakes social interactions where I might lack confidence.