Who will you spend time with this weekend?

Gretchen Rubin’s Happiness Project blog recently featured a post with eight tips for making friends and this explanation of why it’s important to put in the time and effort to cultivate quality friendships:

Ancient philosophers and contemporary scientists agree: strong social ties are a key — arguably the key — to happiness. You need close, long-term relationships; you need to be able to confide in others; you need to belong; you need to get and give support. Studies show that if you have five or more friends with whom to discuss an important matter you’re far more likely to describe yourself as “very happy.”

Among Rubin’s tips are joining or forming a group of people who share an interest with you, saying nice things about people and making an effort to smile.

You can read the whole list of pointers here.

There’s a popular philosophy, attributed to Jim Rohn and now in wide circulation, that you are the average of your five closest friends — who you hang out with in life determines how you live your life.

If you believe that, and I do, then it’s important to combine Rubin’s advice for how to make friends with an awareness of who you want to make friends with.

How did you meet your best friends — and how did those become your closest friendships?

Do you actively seek out people you’d like to have in your life, or distance yourself from those you don’t?