Wellness is commonly understood to be about achieving and maintaining good physical and mental health—exercising, eating a balanced diet, and taking care of our emotional needs through various methods, from meditation to therapy. But pioneering social scientist and social health expert Kasley Killam argues that this definition of wellbeing is missing a major component: social connection. Relationships not only make us happier, but they are also critical to our overall health and longevity. Research shows that people with smaller social networks are more susceptible to diabetes, and, incredibly, poor social relationships can increase your risk of developing heart disease by 29%. Conversely, people with a strong sense of belonging are 2.6 times more likely to report good or excellent health. Perhaps even more astonishingly, people with weak family ties or social contact are 11% to 53% more likely to die from any cause. The data is clear: relationships don’t just make us feel good, they h