Have you ever heard that making friends after a certain age is nearly impossible?

Perhaps you've come across the disheartening claim that once you hit your mid-twenties, your friend-making days are behind you. As someone navigating the complexities of adult friendships in April 2025, I'm here to tell you: that's completely untrue.

The simple answer is that there is no age limit to making friends—except perhaps "the age at which you die". While it's true that forming connections becomes different as we age, the capacity to build meaningful relationships remains with us throughout our entire lives.

"We need old friends to help us grow old and new friends to help us stay young," writes Letty Cottin Pogrebin. This beautiful sentiment captures why we should never stop opening ourselves to new connections.

Research shows that adult friendships require time—approximately 50 hours to build a casual friendship, 90 hours to become real friends, and 200 hours to consider someone a close friend.

This time investment might explain why many adults feel friendships are harder to form, but it certainly doesn't make them impossible.

Henry Miller wisely noted:

"What most people fear when they think of old age is the inability to make new friends. If one ever had the faculty of making friends one never loses it however old one grows". 

This perspective challenges us to maintain our openness to connection regardless of our age.

So how can we make friends as adults? Consider these approaches:

  • Join a gym or take a class where you'll meet like-minded individuals
  • Leverage technology platforms designed for friendship
  • Tap into your community through volunteering or local events
  • Be willing to be vulnerable and take the first step

The quality of adult friendships is defined by companionship, reliable alliance, self-validation, and intimacy. These elements don't have an expiration date—they're available to us at any age if we're willing to invest in them.

As C.S. Lewis perfectly expressed, "Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: 'What! You too? I thought I was the only one'". These magical moments of connection can happen at any stage of life.

So, until what age can we make new friends? As long as you're breathing, the opportunity awaits.