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Himanshu Bansal· 4 months ago
Where entertainment meets everyday living — practical lifestyle insight backed by nearly five years of professional consulting experience.

Is making true friends harder in your 20s than school years?

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Replying to the question above
Answered on04/08/26

Yes, 100% harder 😭. Making friends in your 20s feels like trying to get hired for a job with no experience, no referrals, and social anxiety. In school, friendships just happened naturally because you saw the same people every single day, had random conversations, shared snacks, and somehow became best friends without even trying. But in your 20s, everyone is busy, tired, healing, working, or stuck in their own routine, so building real connections takes way more effort. And honestly, finding genuine people feels even rarer now. It’s not impossible, but it definitely doesn’t happen as easily or as innocently as it did back then. Adult friendships are possible
 they just come with scheduling, emotional maturity, and way more patience 😂

 
 
Jony Backer
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I am a professional content writer.

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Replying to the question above
Answered on04/07/26

Making true friends in your 20s is definitely much harder than it was during our school years. If you ask any young person in India today, they will tell you that after college ends, the "golden period" of friendship also seems to fade away. When we were in school, we saw the same people every day for 6 to 8 hours. There was a "forced consistency" which made it very easy to become best friends. We shared lunch boxes, played in the PT period, and cried over the same maths homework.

But in our 20s, life becomes very "transactional." Research shows that for a deep friendship, two people need to spend around 200 hours together to become "close friends." In your 20s, most of our time goes into our jobs or looking for a career. When we meet people in the office, there is always a competition or a professional boundary. You cannot always tell your boss or a colleague your deepest secrets because you are afraid of your "corporate image."

Also, in India, the 20s is a time of big shifts. Some friends get married, some move to Bangalore or Gurgaon for jobs, and some go abroad for higher studies. This "geographic distance" makes it hard to maintain the old bond. Even if you want to meet, everyone is busy with their own "hustle." Life becomes about LinkedIn connections rather than real-life soulmates.

Another reason is "social media fatigue." We have 1000 friends on Instagram, but when we are sad at 2 AM, we don't know who to call. We see everyone’s "perfect life" online and feel lonely, but we are too shy to reach out and say "I need a friend." In school, we didn't have filters; in our 20s, we have too many walls.

To make true friends now, you have to put in a lot of "conscious effort." You have to join hobby clubs, go to gyms, or attend meetups specifically to meet people. It is no longer automatic. So, if you feel that making friends is getting tougher, don't worry—it’s not you, it’s just how adult life is designed. You just need to find one or two "real ones" who stay with you through the struggle.

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Kamal Bhatt
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Replying to the question above
Answered on04/06/26

No, I don’t think making true friends is harder in your 20s—it’s just different. In school, friendships happen naturally because you’re around the same people every day. In your 20s, it takes more effort since everyone has different schedules, priorities, and responsibilities. But the upside is that friendships become more intentional and meaningful. You’re choosing people based on shared values, not just convenience. I’ve found that while it may take longer to build connections, the friendships tend to be deeper and more genuine. You also understand yourself better, which helps you connect with the right people. So it’s not harder—it just requires more initiative, patience, and openness to putting yourself out there.

Ramesh Kumar
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Replying to the question above
Answered on04/06/26

Yes, many people feel that making true friends in your 20s is harder than during school years. In school, you’re surrounded by the same people daily, which makes bonding natural and easy. In your 20s, life becomes busier with work, responsibilities, and different schedules, so meeting and maintaining connections takes more effort. People also become more selective and cautious about who they trust.

However, it’s not impossible. Friendships in your 20s can be deeper and more meaningful because they’re based on shared values, maturity, and real understanding rather than just convenience.

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Vikesh Kumar
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Replying to the question above
Answered on04/06/26

Definitely — but not because people suddenly become “worse” at friendship. It’s harder because life gets way less structured.

In school, you see the same people every day without even trying. Friendships happen naturally through classes, lunch breaks, random conversations, and just being around each other all the time. In your 20s, everyone’s on different schedules, different goals, different cities, and sometimes even different versions of themselves.

So making true friends in your 20s can feel harder because now it takes more effort, more intention, and honestly, more emotional maturity too. You’re not just looking for people to hang out with — you’re looking for people who actually understand you, respect your boundaries, and stay consistent.

The good part, though, is that friendships in your 20s can be fewer but much deeper. They may take longer to build, but when they’re real, they usually feel more solid.

So yes, it is harder — but maybe that’s because the friendships you’re looking for are more meaningful now, not just more convenient.

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Kavya Sharma
Covering the culture, trends, and everyday choices that define how modern India lives.
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Kavya Sharma is a lifestyle expert and content writer with over 4 years of experience covering entertainment and lifestyle across digital platforms in India. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Media Studies from Mumbai University, which shaped her understanding of audience behaviour, cultural trends, and how content connects with readers at a personal level. Her writing spans Bollywood and OTT entertainment, fashion, wellness, travel, relationships, and modern living — topics she approaches with both cultural awareness and editorial discipline. Her work has appeared on platforms including Femina.in, Pinkvilla, and Lifestyle Asia India, where she has developed a consistent voice that resonates with urban Indian readers navigating contemporary life. Over four years, Kavya has published 250+ articles covering trend-driven and evergreen lifestyle content. She understands what audiences in this space actually want — content that is relatable, well-researched, and reflective of the way people in India are living, consuming, and making choices today. Across all her work, she maintains a standard of accuracy and cultural sensitivity — ensuring that entertainment and lifestyle conte

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Replying to the question above
Answered on04/03/26

Yes. 100%.

In school, friendship was almost automatic. You sat next to someone for a year, shared tiffin, copied homework — and boom, best friends. No effort needed. Life just threw people at you.

But in your 20s? Everyone is busy. Everyone is chasing something — a job, a relationship, a version of themselves they haven't figured out yet. You can work with someone for months and still feel like strangers.

The worst part is — you want deep friendships, but nobody has time to go slow anymore. And making friends as an adult feels weirdly awkward. Like, how do you even say "hey, I like you, wanna hang out?" without it feeling strange?

I think the real reason is this: school gave us forced proximity and free time — the two ingredients real friendships need. Your 20s take both away.

But here's what I've also seen — the friends you do make in your 20s? They're different. You choose each other on purpose. No shared classroom forced it. That makes it rarer, but honestly
 more real.

So yes, harder. But not impossible. Just slower. And maybe that's okay.

Henry Cavill
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đŸ„° lovely

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