When you talk to someone, ask, “How are you?” This shows that you actually care about the person. Ask a person about his interests. People love talking about their interests, and will think you’re cool for caring enough to ask.
Instead of putting people down, you can tease or playfully poke fun at your friends. They’ll tease you back and you’ll both have fun, instead of entering a storm cloud of negativity.
If people call you a nerd, just laugh it off. Anything is cool if you make it cool. Reading will also make it easier for you to talk to a variety of people, not just one narrow social circle. Truly cool people can talk to almost anyone.
Sports are also a great way to make new friends and bond with other people. Join a sports team or two in your school, and see how many new friends you make. Physical activity also releases endorphins which make you feel better, improving your overall mood and making you more appealing to hang out with.
If you join a club, you can eventually have a leadership position in the organization, which is very cool.
Once you’ve mastered a skill, you can even teach it to someone else. Now that’s cool.
Spend time learning to play the guitar, picking up a new language, or just writing down your thoughts in a journal. This will help you figure out who you are and you’ll become cooler in the process. If you’re always around, people will take you for granted. But if you’re sometimes busy because you’re catching up on some alone time, then people will appreciate you more when you’re around.
If you need to go shopping for clothes, invest in only a few items of clothing of more expensive, higher quality clothing instead of buying lots of mediocre and cheap clothes. An example is Hollister. Experiment with different styles, and try to find the one that plays off of your strengths and identity, whether you’re preppy or going for more of a rocker or hipster look. Having cool style means wearing what you love no matter how ridiculous you may look. If people make fun of your clothes and you stop wearing them just to please people, then you’re not being cool.
A smile makes a lasting impression. Even if people don’t know you well, they’ll like you if you smile at them. And if you don’t smile at them, they’ll think you’re a jerk or a grouch before they even get to know you.
