Jerry the fish is sad. He is all alone and isolated with no friends or family. He wants and craves to live a good and happy life. 

Jerry stares at the other fishes in jealousy and wonders if having a good social connection is the best path to happiness.

Jerry returns to his home, where he is surprised to find another fish waiting for him.

Hi Jerry, my name is Terry. I overheard that you were wondering about forming good social connections, and I thought I could help!

Thank you, Terry, I feel absolutely clueless. What does it even mean to have good social connections? Is forming social connections the best path to happiness? How can social connections benefit me?

Well Jerry, when researchers refer to the concept of social connection, they mean the feeling that you belong to a group and generally feel close to other fish. We fish are social creatures. We need to maintain social connectivity to maintain physical health and longevity. 

Yes, any social network will benefit your health to a degree. . . but, biologically we need face-to-face contact and intimate fish connections to engage biological systems that have evolved for millennia to preserve our well-being. 

it is extremely important that each of us make a conscious effort to create and maintain close-knit bonds and a strong sense of community.

social connections are key to well-being. For example, very happy fish are highly social and tend to have strong relationships; kids with a richer network of connections grow up to be happier adults; socializing is one of the most positive everyday activities.