112. Set a Connection Goal for 2026
2026 is right around the corner—Happy New Year! 🎉✨🥳
Are you someone who likes to set goals this time of year? If so, you’re probably interested in goals that have the most impact for the least amount of effort.
There’s a clear winner in that category: if you want to improve your quality of life, focus on social connection. Yet this ranks low on the list of New Year’s goals.
Top 3 Reasons to Prioritize Connection in 2026
1: Good relationships are the TOP predictor of PHYSICAL health.
Quick quiz: Which is better for your health: a morning run or a morning coffee with a friend? If you picked the run, you’re in good company (but you’re also missing an opportunity).
A 2018 survey found that people in the US and UK ranked social relationships as significantly less important to health than they actually are. Most people believed that smoking, alcohol consumption, exercise, and weight had more influence on health and life expectancy than social connectedness—but that’s not what the research shows.
The data is clear that strong relationships have a greater impact on your health than diet or exercise—even though it feels counterintuitive. You can’t feel your blood pressure drop after a good conversation the way you feel your muscles burn after a good workout, but the effects add up over time.
It’s no surprise we prioritize more concrete goals. According to Forbes Health, these were Americans’ top New Year’s resolutions in 2024:
48% set goals to improve fitness
34% set goals to lose weight
32% set goals to improve diet
25% set goals to make more time for loved ones
Science says #4 is the goal most likely to improve your health and happiness. But if you want to hedge your bets, bundle #1 and #4 and start a fitness program with a friend!
Reason #2: Good relationships are the TOP predictor of MENTAL health
Feeling socially connected prevents depression and anxiety, and reduces existing symptoms. This study found that people with depression who had no previous group membership reduced their risk of depression relapse by 24% by joining just one social group. Joining three groups reduced their risk of relapse by 63%!
The researchers concluded:
“ Membership in social groups is both protective against developing depression and curative of existing depression.”
3: Good relationships are the TOP predictor of HAPPINESS
The strongest finding from the longest longitudinal study in the world (the Harvard Study of Adult Development, which has followed well over 1000 participants over 87 years) is that, 🥁🥁🥁 (drumroll)
“Close relationships, more than money or fame, are what keep people happy throughout their lives.”
And they “are better predictors of long and happy lives than social class, IQ, or even genes.”
Reflection
I am clearly a believer in the power of connection. Even so, it can feel effortful to make plans. One of my favorite ways to stay social is to set up “automatic recurring connection.” Instead of scheduling a one-off date, set up something that recurs on a regular basis, so you can set it and forget it.
This year one of my goals is to get out of the house and stay social during the cold, dark, New England winter. So, I set up an 8-week class to learn bridge with a group of friends. Will I love bridge? Who knows! It’s less about mastering the game of bridge than spending 8 evenings with friends (instead of sitting on the couch). Maybe we’ll love it and have a new activity to do together. Maybe it won’t take, and we’ll be able to look back and say, “remember the winter we tried to learn bridge?!”
Connection Practice: Set a connection goal
The goal of “getting more connected” or “improving relationships” can feel vague and hard to act on without a clear next step. It can help to break connection goals into 3 buckets:
Expand: Meet new people, build new relationships, and widen your social circle.
Deepen: Identify the people in your life that you’d like to get closer with, then prioritize time with them. You can actively deepen your relationship by asking deeper questions, being vulnerable, or offering help or support.
Tend: Address things that may be causing distance in your relationships. Maybe it means addressing a conflict or imbalance or setting a boundary. Maybe it means putting in more effort and scheduling a regular date.
Choose one of these 3 buckets to focus on. What would have the most impact on your quality of life?
What is one small daily or weekly habit you can establish to make progress within that bucket?
Weekly Questions. Please share your responses in the comments—I love hearing from you!
What’s one connection goal you’re setting for 2026?
What’s a habit or practice you’ve tried in the past that helped you get more connected?
May you be surrounded by love and affection this year!