You’ve heard the term before: “The Loneliness Epidemic.” As a society, we’ve seen a decline in the social connectedness of people and communities.

But a recent review of existing research outlines just how essential social connection is for our health.

There’s robust evidence that strong social connections predict:

This isn’t simply because of the lack of loneliness, mind you. It’s the presence of connection.

I’m not arguing here that you should go out and try to make 1,000 new friends. No, it’s not about having a giant friend group, or going out every night to parties.

What I want to focus on is meaningful connection. The kinds of connections that are caring and compassionate.

Like when a friend follows up about something you told them a week ago to hear how it’s going. Or when your sibling lets you cry in their arms when talking about your struggles.

Or simply when your manager treats you like a human, and doesn’t mind when you leave early to take your dog to the vet.

These are the connections that are going to have the biggest impact on your health.

And now the million dollar question: how do you get those?

It starts with modeling positive behaviors that facilitate connection. Treating others with respect. Being open to different perspectives. Being responsive when somebody speaks to you. Behaving with kindness. Offering support to those around you.

You remember the Golden Rule from school, right? Often by behaving the way you want to be treated, you’ll be treated much better.

Build social connection into your routine. For those of us that work remotely, that means being a little creative in getting out of the house. Joining a coworking space, playing pickup basketball at the park, or volunteering at the library are all valid answers.

Speaking of volunteering, service is an outstanding way to inject social connection into your life. And bonus: as I’ve said in the past, service is the direct path to a meaningful life.

If you struggle with social anxiety, I have good news for you. Mindfulness and meditation have been shown to reduce the negative impacts of loneliness. And as I’ve written about in the past, there are ways you can turn your fear of loneliness into a love of solitude.

But if you have the capacity, I encourage you to embrace connection this holiday season.

I spend so much time in gratitude for my readers here. Not only do you help me feel supported and heard every single day, you’ve also been helping me build this space into something that truly supports you.

Today, I’d love for you to weigh in on a few quick questions so I can keep shaping this space around what you care about most.

As I said above, one of the most effective ways to achieve meaningful connection is to model connective behaviors.

Try This: I want you to look at your calendar right now, and find a time when you’re going to be one-on-one with someone, or with a small group of people. If nothing comes up, text a friend and schedule a little dinner date. And I want you to commit to at least one of the following behaviors that you’re going to model: