Resources We Love
We are not the only ones saying it. Researchers, physicians, psychologists, and journalists across the world are documenting what many of us feel but struggle to name: a growing hunger for authentic, in-person connection in an increasingly digital world. This is a curated list of the articles, reports, and books that informed and continue to inspire what we are building.
The Crisis: Loneliness as a Public Health Emergency
U.S. Surgeon General · 2023
Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation
The landmark advisory that declared loneliness a national public health crisis, framing social connection as a need as fundamental as food, water, and shelter. The document that started a national conversation — and the foundation for much of what followed. Free PDF.
The Washington Post · May 2023
Loneliness poses public health threat, Surgeon General warns
Mainstream coverage of the Surgeon General's advisory, helping frame loneliness not as a personal failing but as a public health crisis comparable to smoking and obesity.
World Health Organization · June 2025
Social connection linked to improved health and reduced risk of early death
The WHO Commission on Social Connection's global report: 1 in 6 people worldwide are affected by loneliness, linked to an estimated 100 deaths every hour. Strong social connection can reduce inflammation, lower the risk of serious illness, and prevent early death.
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health · December 2024
The importance of connections: Ways to live a longer, healthier life
Harvard researchers lay out the evidence: social disconnection is associated with higher risk of heart disease, stroke, anxiety, depression, and dementia. Connection is not just nice to have — it is medicine.
Technology's Role in the Problem
CivicScience · January 2025
The State of Loneliness in America: The Role of Relationships and Technology
New data: 56% of Americans consider themselves addicted to their devices, and 57% believe technology has contributed to their increased feelings of loneliness.
Psychology Today · August 2025
Explores the central paradox: the tools designed to bring us together can leave us feeling more alone, and raises urgent questions about what it means to rebuild authentic human bonds.
Forbes · November 2025
Why Rebuilding Human Connection Matters in a Tech-Driven World
A business-focused perspective on why the drive toward efficiency and digital tools has come at a cost to authentic human connection, and what rebuilding it requires.
TIME · January 2026
We Need to Build Human Connection for the AI Era
As AI transforms everything from schools to boardrooms, TIME argues we are ignoring the one human advantage no technology can replace: our capacity to genuinely connect with one another.
World Economic Forum · November 2025
The economics of empathy: why human connection is the future of business
A global study conducted with Stanford University found that 73% of consumers actively avoid businesses that don't show empathy, and 71% believe AI cannot create genuine human connections. The data makes the business case for what we already know intuitively.
Books Worth Your Time
Jennifer Breheny Wallace · 2025
Mattering: The Secret to a Life of Deep Connection and Purpose
An instant NYT bestseller arguing that mattering — the feeling of being valued and having value to offer — is a core human need going unmet in modern life. Endorsed by Vivek Murthy, Adam Grant, and Susan Cain.
Vivek Murthy · 2020
Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World
Written by the U.S. Surgeon General, this is the foundational text on the loneliness epidemic — what drives it, what it costs us, and what genuine connection actually requires.
Jonathan Haidt · 2024
The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness
NYT #1 bestseller for 52+ consecutive weeks, documenting how the smartphone era reshaped childhood, mental health, and our capacity for real-world connection.
Sherry Turkle · 2015 (updated 10th anniversary edition)
Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age
MIT researcher Sherry Turkle makes the case that face-to-face conversation is the most human — and humanizing — thing we do, and that we are letting it slip away. Recently updated with new insight on the threats of generative AI.
Cal Newport · 2019
Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World
Georgetown computer science professor Cal Newport argues for intentional technology use, making the case that reclaiming time and attention offline is essential to a meaningful, well-connected life. A NYT bestseller.
Ben Rein, PhD · 2025
Why Brains Need Friends: The Neuroscience of Social Connection
Stanford neuroscientist and science communicator Ben Rein explores the biology behind why human connection is not optional — our brains are literally wired for it, and suffer measurably when deprived of it.