The World Happiness Report just released a number that stopped me cold. One in four Americans ate every meal alone yesterday. That is a 50% jump in the last 20 years.
Here is the twist: Researchers found a sweet spot for shared meals. Just one a week with someone else and your happiness rises. Share more and the boost keeps building until it does not. Around 13 meals in, the benefits fade. Everyone needs a little me time, the researcher said.
Still, solitude is not our main problem. The foundations of shared meals—friendship, coupling and family—are shaky in America. We date less, marry later and drift from friends. We call it independence, but that kind of independence can feel like slow isolation.
Those meals are not about food. They are about pausing, sharing a moment, hearing someone else’s story and realizing you are not carrying the whole day alone.
So I will ask: How many meals did you share this week? If the answer is zero, who could you invite to lunch?
Let me know in the comments and support my work at jamesbrowntv.substack.com.
On that note, I am James Brown. As always, be well.
https://worldhappiness.report/ed/2025/sharing-meals-with-others-how-sharing-meals-supports-happiness-and-social-connections/
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