Our moments of connection

The power of micro connections

Do you feel uplifted when you exchange a smile with a stranger in the street? How about making small talk about the weather with the person behind the till at your local shop because it feels natural and like a nice thing to do.

You might not know these people very well or even know their names, but research shows these moments of connection can significantly affect our happiness and sense of belonging.

For Loneliness Awareness Week, we're encouraging everyone to increase those simple, everyday moments of connection!

Here's how our team are getting involved!

Joe

"I'm going to try to do Random Acts of Connection every day during Loneliness Awareness Week, including planning lots of smiles at passerby's, to try and learn the names of all my neighbours, reach out to friends who live abroad, attend a community dinner and hopefully a local ParkRun too!"

Alice

"I'm getting stuck in with Random Acts of Connection! I’m going to say good morning to 3 strangers on my runs next week. I’m gong to smile at parents at school drop off / pick up. As part of my work with Marmalade Trust, I'm heading to Hannah More Primary School to meet students and work on a shared mural.

I'm excited to go to the Marmalade Trust summer party, spend time with neighbours and lastly I'm going to squeeze in going out for nibbles with friends!"

Helen

"I'm making Random Acts of Connection by making a conscious effort to smile at other cyclists on the cycle path on my way to work instead of keeping my head down!"

Meg

"I'm looking forward to going to the Marmalade summer party, where I'll try to chat to people I don't know. I work from home which means I don't tend to socialise much during the day. This week I'm going to work from a cafe, ask your barista how their day is going and smile at passersby on my way.

I also like sending funny videos to my brothers on Instagram to make them smile."

Choose your own Random Acts of Connection to try!

Have a go with our Random Acts of Connection generator on this page or view the full list of ideas here >