This is Hidden Brain. I'm Shankar Vedantam. Ask yourself what makes you happy.

Many people would say spending time with close friends, quality moments with family, playing with a pet.

Most of us can agree relationships are at the heart of a life well-lived.

Social science research bears this out.

Countless studies suggest that our emotional ties to others shape our well-being.

Long-running analyses that track people over time show that social connections are not just about our emotional well-being, they're important

determinants of our physical health. But it's one thing to say that relationships are important.

It's another to go about getting them or preserving them. Lifelong friends move away to

other towns and countries. Romantic relationships come undone.

Relatives pass away.

And especially as people get older, many find it difficult to form new relationships,

even as they yearn to feel close to others.

New psychological research suggests a solution to this problem,

or at least a partial solution,

and it's one that's easily accessible to everyone.

Last week, in our Relationships 2.0 series, we looked at the common mistakes we make when negotiating with other people.

This week on Hidden Brain, we bring you a user's manual on how to boost your social connections

and your happiness.

Rigorous studies suggest that the problem of loneliness is growing around the world.

Many people feel they don't have others in whom they can confide.

Making friends can be hard, especially if you're someone who is naturally shy.

At the University of Sussex, psychologist Gillian Sandstrom studies what we can do to combat the growing challenge of social isolation.

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