TAG
connection
40 articles tagged with "connection"
Why Online Friends Aren't Enough
We're more digitally connected than ever, yet lonelier than ever. What UK research reveals about why online friendships can't replace in-person connection — and what to do about it.
9 April 2026
What Eating Together Does to Your Brain (Oxford Research)
Robin Dunbar's Oxford study, the 2025 World Happiness Report across 142 countries, and what a shared meal actually does to your wellbeing.
9 April 2026
100 Reasons to Have Dinner With a Stranger
From meeting your next best friend to discovering that garlic bread is always better when shared — here are 100 reasons why sitting down to eat with someone you've never met might be the best decision you make this year.
26 March 2026
The 30-Day Social Challenge: One Simple Act of Connection Every Day
A practical day-by-day guide to rebuilding your social habits through small, meaningful acts of connection. Backed by habit formation research and designed for real life.
26 March 2026
50 Conversation Starters That Go Beyond 'What Do You Do?'
Fifty great questions to spark real connection, organised by context — from first meetings and dinner parties to catching up with old friends. Because a good question is a gift.
26 March 2026
The Art of Being a Good Listener (And Why It Makes You a Better Friend)
Most people listen to respond, not to understand. Research shows that active listening is a social superpower that deepens friendships, builds trust, and makes you someone people genuinely want to be around.
26 March 2026
Best Podcasts About Friendship, Loneliness, and Connection
From No Such Thing as a Fish to Griefcast, our pick of the best podcasts that explore friendship, loneliness, and what it really means to connect — plus how to turn listening into a genuinely social experience.
26 March 2026
Couples Who Socialise Together: Why Shared Friendships Strengthen Relationships
Research links a shared social life to happier relationships. Why the double date is making a comeback and how socialising together builds stronger partnerships.
26 March 2026
The Dinner Table Rules: How Shared Meals Create Shared Values
The dinner table is where we learn to be social beings. From turn-taking and sharing to gratitude and generosity, the rules of the table shape the values we carry through life.
26 March 2026
Food Cultures That Bring People Together: What the UK Can Learn
From Italian aperitivo to Ethiopian injera, cultures use food as social technology. What Britain has lost and how communal eating can rebuild connection.
26 March 2026
The Friendship Audit: How to Assess and Invest in Your Social Circle
A structured, compassionate approach to evaluating your friendships — not to cull, but to invest wisely. Use Dunbar's layers, honest reflection, and practical exercises to build a social circle that energises you.
26 March 2026
Friendship and Chronic Illness: Staying Connected When Your Body Has Other Plans
Around 15 million people in England live with a long-term health condition. Here's how chronic illness reshapes friendships — and what real connection looks like when energy is limited.
26 March 2026
The Friendship Love Languages: How Different People Show They Care
Adapting Gary Chapman's love languages framework for friendship. Why your friends show love differently, how to recognise their style, and what to do when friendship languages clash.
26 March 2026
How Gratitude Practices Can Transform Your Friendships
The science is clear: grateful people have stronger, more lasting friendships. Here's how simple gratitude practices — from journaling to dinner-table rituals — can deepen the connections that matter most.
26 March 2026
How Music Brings People Together (And the Best Places to Hear It in Exeter)
How music bonds people, plus the best live music venues in Exeter for 2026 — from the Cavern and Phoenix to Powderham Castle concerts, choirs, and open mic nights.
26 March 2026
How to Be a Better Friend: 10 Small Things That Make a Big Difference
Friendship isn't a feeling — it's a practice. Ten simple, actionable ways to show up better for the people you care about, backed by research on what actually keeps friendships strong.
26 March 2026
How to Make Friends at Events When You Don't Know Anyone
Practical, research-backed strategies for walking into a room full of strangers and leaving with real connections. From arriving early to finding the other person who's alone.
26 March 2026
How to Manage Social Anxiety When You Actually Want to Go Out
Practical strategies, UK resources, and honest advice for people who genuinely want to connect but freeze up when it is time to walk through the door.
26 March 2026
Long-Distance Friendships: How to Stay Close When You Live Far Apart
Geographical distance doesn't have to mean emotional distance. Research-backed strategies for maintaining meaningful friendships across miles, time zones, and busy lives.
26 March 2026
Mindful Eating, Mindful Connecting: How Slowing Down at the Table Changes Everything
The intersection of mindfulness and social dining — why rushing through meals kills connection, and how being present at the table can transform both your health and your relationships.
26 March 2026
Networking Without the Cringe: How to Build Genuine Professional Connections
Why networking feels awful for most UK professionals and how to make it feel like actual socialising. Real tips for building genuine connections, from Exeter networking groups to LinkedIn done right.
26 March 2026
New Year in Exeter: How to Start 2027 With Connection, Not Just Resolutions
Start 2027 right with social habits that last — parkrun, Silent Book Club, Dry January socials and more. Your guide to New Year in Exeter beyond resolutions.
26 March 2026
The Science of First Impressions: How to Make People Want to Know You
What psychology research reveals about first impressions — they form in milliseconds, they're stubborn to change, but they can be intentionally shaped. Practical tips backed by Princeton and Harvard studies.
26 March 2026
The Science of Laughter: Why Funny Friends Are Good for Your Health
Laughter triggers endorphins, reduces stress, and strengthens social bonds. The neuroscience behind why the funniest evenings with friends are also the healthiest — and how to bring more laughter into your life.
26 March 2026
How Social Media Creates the Illusion of Connection (And What to Do About It)
Why social media makes us feel connected without actually connecting, what Dunbar's research reveals about online friendships, and practical strategies for turning digital habits into real relationships.
26 March 2026
The Digital Detox Dinner: Why Putting Your Phone Away Changes Everything
UK adults spend over 4.5 hours a day online, and for the first time are on their phones more than they watch television. Here's why going phone-free at the dinner table transforms conversation, connection, and how you feel about the people around you.
26 March 2026
What Happens When a Whole Town Eats Together: The Big Lunch and Community Meals
From the Eden Project's Big Lunch to FoodCycle and community fridges, millions of Brits are rediscovering the power of eating together. How community meals build belonging — and what they teach us about sharing a table with strangers.
26 March 2026
Cooking for Someone Is an Act of Love: 3 Dishes to Start
A shepherd's pie, a pot of soup, a Victoria sponge: why home-cooked food lands harder than any text, and what the wellbeing research actually says.
26 March 2026
Why We Need More Third Places in Devon (And How You Can Help Create Them)
Devon's pubs, village halls, and community spaces are under threat. Here's why third places matter more than ever in rural communities — and practical ways to create new ones where old ones have disappeared.
26 March 2026
Why Dinners With Friends Exists: A Letter From Our Founder
A personal letter from Pamela Silkstone on why she started Dinners With Friends — the loneliness she saw, the power of a shared meal, and the vision for community in Devon and beyond.
26 March 2026
How to Actually Turn Acquaintances Into Real Friends
The science-backed stages of friendship and practical ways to turn acquaintances into real friends, with the latest 2025 research on what makes bonds stick.
25 February 2026
How to Move Past Small Talk and Actually Connect
Research-backed techniques to move beyond surface-level chat and build real connections. From the Harvard question-asking study to the vulnerability ladder — how to have conversations that actually matter.
25 February 2026
How to Talk About the News Without Ruining the Evening
The news is heavy. Your social life doesn't have to be. How to engage with current events at dinner without spiralling into doom, plus conversational techniques for keeping things meaningful without drowning in anxiety.
13 November 2025
The Power of Showing Up: Why Consistency Matters More Than Grand Gestures in Friendships
Research shows it takes over 200 hours to build a close friendship. One-off events won't get you there — but regular rituals will. Here's why showing up consistently is the single best thing you can do for your social life.
4 September 2025
From Anxiety to Action: Turning Worry Into Community
How collective anxiety about war, climate, and the economy can be channelled into community building. The psychology of 'tend and befriend,' UK initiatives born from crisis, and why small acts of connection are the antidote to helplessness.
24 July 2025
Why Small Gatherings Beat Big Nights Out in Anxious Times
From supper clubs to intimate dinner parties, Brits are choosing smaller, more meaningful social experiences. Here's the psychology behind why groups of 4-8 feel safer and more fulfilling — especially when the world feels uncertain.
15 May 2025
The Role of Food in Emotional Wellbeing and Connection
From gut health to group dinners, the science behind how food shapes our mood, our relationships, and our sense of belonging — and why eating together might be the most underrated form of care.
1 May 2025
The Dinner Table as Sanctuary: Why Shared Meals Ground Us
From ancient campfires to modern kitchen tables, sharing food has always been humanity's most powerful grounding ritual. The science behind why eating together reduces stress, builds trust, and offers an antidote to digital overwhelm.
17 April 2025
Doom-Scrolling vs Real Connection: Choosing People Over Panic
The average UK adult spends 4.5 hours online every day. Here's what that screen time is doing to your brain, your friendships, and your capacity for real human connection.
5 March 2025
How Global Uncertainty Is Reshaping British Social Life
Wars, political instability, and a cost of living crisis that won't quit are changing how Brits socialise. But the shift isn't all bad — and it might be exactly what we needed.
8 January 2025