Making friends abroad

“We human beings are social beings. We come into the world as the result of others’ actions. We survive here in dependence on others. Whether we like it or not, there is hardly a moment of our lives when we do not benefit from others’ activities. For this reason, it is hardly surprising that most of our happiness arises in the context of our relationships with others.”

Dalai Lama XIV

Around the time I moved to Denmark, I became curious about how expats make new friends. This led to a study where I – with the help of a few student helpers – interviewed 72 expats around the world, to ask them about how they made new friends.

I have now finished the data analysis, and have written a paper that has been presented both at EURAM and AOM in 2022. Keep an eye on this page for updates on this research project! It will also be part of my forthcoming book about Breaking out of the Expat Bubble.

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Would you like to share your experiences with making friends in a specific country?

Then please let me know!