Woman's simple tip to help shy people make more friends is both ingenious and effective

Finding true friends can feel like a daunting task, particularly for the shy among us. In such cases, this task can seem almost impossible for them. However, u/emobanana_ seems to think otherwise. She put forward a brilliant suggestion that can break the ice and bring people of similar interests together in r/LifeProTips. Her 'pro tip' is, "If you're a shy person and want to make friends, try putting stickers of things you're interested in on your laptop/phone." Sharing her own experience, she revealed that after doing this, many folks who had never talked to her before, started coming up to her and striking conversations.

The band stickers started conversations about music and created a camaraderie. "It's hard to tell just looking at someone if you have anything in common, but if people know they will have a common interest with you before even talking to you, then you can easily strike up a conversation over that," she added. As someone who understands the struggle of shyness herself, she was eager to share this friendship-building tip with others facing similar challenges.

Shared interests form the basis of cultural phenomena, such as fandoms. Some of the most popular ones include the Potterheads, Trekkies and BTS Army. The internet acts as a meeting place for such groups. People can discuss their shared love for the fandom, spend time analyzing various theories and create a social life. The comfort individuals find within their fandoms cause them to be glued to their screens. In real life, these stickers act as a signal for others with the same interest. People can transfer their active internet life to the real world. 

u/BIRDsnoozer attested to this tip by sharing their experience: "I had a Futurama phone case with the Planet Express logo on the back. One random electrician on a job site saw it and we got chitchatting about Futurama, nerdy sh*t and games. I started playing Evolve with him online and that branched into other games. He fits in perfectly with my other friends and I never would have even known him if I didn't have the Planet Express logo on my phone case."

People who might not know anything about the stickers also sometimes take the opportunity to increase their knowledge. u/SonTyp_OhneNamen asked people to expand their scope beyond stickers. They wrote, "Shirts. You wouldn't believe how many contacts my countless DnD-Shirts have brought me, not just from enthusiasts but also just as a simple icebreaker for others to latch onto - What's that mean, Oh! that's that game they play on 'Stranger Things'/ 'Big Bang Theory' / 'Community' /whatever, right? Wow, I don't know anyone who plays that around here, what's it like, what's it about, do you wear costumes too or is it a board game?" 

u/freakytapir believes that such methods of connection could actually be a lifesaver. They wrote, "As someone who's exceedingly shy, seeing an LGTBQ+ flag sticker on a dude's laptop did make me walk up to him and start a conversation." People struggling with their identity can strike up connections that give them more information to figure everything out. They can have a person on their side as they begin their journey into a new path. Having friends, ultimately, makes the world a colorful place to live in.