It is a timely and important theme, and one I think about often because loneliness does not discriminate. People can experience it at any age, in any community, and at any stage of life. Across Canada and around the world, more people are reporting feeling lonely, isolated, or disconnected.
We often talk about loneliness as though it is simply the absence of people, and connection as though it is simply the presence of them. But through the Social Values work we do at Environics, we know that people’s needs are shaped by much deeper motivations and worldviews. A values lens helps us understand what people need to feel seen, supported, and understood and explain why connection can look very different from one person to the next.
These distinctions matter because many of the traditional pathways to connection are no longer as automatic or accessible as they once were. For many people, connection used to be built into the rhythm of daily life: seeing colleagues regularly at work, gathering through faith communities, spending time in neighbourhood third spaces, participating in local organizations, or forming relationships through schools, recreation programs, community centres, and informal social rituals.
Rebuilding connection in a changing world
Those spaces still exist, but they do not function in the same way for everyone. Workplaces are more hybrid, faith communities are less central in many people’s lives, and third spaces can be harder to access, increasingly commercialized, or disappearing altogether. With the cost of living stretching so many people, connection can also feel less accessible. Even when opportunities to connect exist, they may not feel welcoming, relevant, safe, affordable, or realistic for the people who need them most.
At the same time, we can feel like we know more about each other than ever before. We see people’s lives through online updates, photos, and opinions, but visibility is not the same as connection. Meaningful connection requires vulnerability: honesty, effort, support, curiosity, and sometimes the courage to make the first move. That is not always easy in a culture that often rewards independence, busyness, productivity, and emotional control.
That tension feels especially important because we are moving through so much change, so quickly. Workplaces have changed. Communities have changed. Technology has changed how we interact. The cost of living has changed what feels accessible. Many of the old pathways to connection are less automatic, and many of the new ones are still taking shape. In the middle of all that, we have an opportunity (and perhaps a responsibility) to rethink how connection is created now.
The answer is not simply more meetings, more events, or more time in the office. It is not enough to put people in the same room and assume a sense of connection will follow. If people are craving connection, our task is not to recreate the old ways of gathering, but to better understand what connection looks like now and design experiences, systems, workplaces, and communities where different kinds of connection can feel intentional, accessible, and meaningful.
A recent example that stayed with me was an event I attended called Night School, where a small group gathered at an art gallery on King Street in Toronto to hear a mathematics professor speak about network science. On paper, it may not sound like an obvious “connection” event, but that is what made it interesting. It created space for curiosity, shared learning, and people open to engaging with something different. It was not forced networking or socializing for its own sake; it was connection built around a shared experience, which made it feel much more meaningful.
What Social Values reveal about connection and belonging
At Environics, we measure more than 100 Social Values constructs and track how they change over time. These values help us understand the deeper motivations behind human behaviour.
When I look at connection through this lens, one of the clearest signals is the rise of Anomie/Aimlessness, a value construct associated with feeling a void of meaning, alienation from society, and being cut off from what is happening. While it does not measure loneliness directly, it points to something closely related: a growing sense that people may feel unanchored or detached from the world around them.
That matters because loneliness is not only about being physically alone. Someone can be surrounded by people and still feel cut off. Connection is not only about proximity to others; it is also about whether people feel rooted, purposeful, and meaningfully connected to the systems, communities, and relationships around them.
To explore this further, I looked at several Social Values constructs that help explain why people may not seek connection in the same way: Community Involvement, Social Intimacy, Attraction to Crowds, Social Learning, and Flexible Families. Together, these constructs point to different pathways to belonging – from local participation and smaller trusted circles, to collective energy, learning across difference, and more fluid definitions of family, care, and support.
The data suggests that different groups appear oriented toward different pathways to connection. Younger adults, especially those 18 to 24, stand out on Community Involvement, suggesting connection may be tied to local participation, causes, and feeling part of something larger. Social Intimacy appears stronger among some larger households and those with higher levels of education, pointing to the importance of smaller, trusted circles for some people. Attraction to Crowds reminds us that others find connection through collective energy: shared experiences, events, gatherings, and moments of being part of something bigger than themselves. Social Learning also varies across groups, suggesting that for some, connection comes through diversity, curiosity, and exposure to people with different backgrounds and perspectives. And the increasing resonance of Flexible Families points to changing definitions of care and belonging, where support may come from chosen family, friends, community members, or emotional bonds that do not fit traditional categories.
Why connection is both personal and structural
The point is not that one group is more or less connected than another. It is that people are look for different pathways to connection and belonging shaped by their values, circumstances, identities, and environments.
This has real implications for how we think about mental health. If we do not understand the range of ways people experience connection, we risk designing solutions that only work for some. It is also why loneliness should not be framed only as an individual problem. It is deeply personal, but it is also structural. It is shaped by how we design workplaces: whether people have the time and psychological safety to build real relationships, and whether leaders notice people as human beings rather than only as roles. It is shaped by healthcare systems: whether people feel listened to and respected, and whether supports are culturally relevant and reflective of their lived experiences as we outlined in our recent report on Healthcare and Trust. And it is shaped by communities: whether there are places to gather without a huge financial burden, whether transit makes connection possible, and whether public spaces and local institutions are treated as essential infrastructure for well-being.
Rethinking what it means to come together
Mental Health Week’s call to “Come Together” is powerful because it reminds us that connection is essential to mental health and well-being. It also gives us an opportunity, as a public, to reflect on what connection really means in people’s lives today. Coming together matters, but it may not look the same for everyone.
If we want to build healthier communities, workplaces, and systems, we need to approach connection with a deeper understanding of human complexity and the different needs people bring with them. That means recognizing that connection is not a single behaviour, but a set of needs shaped by people’s values, circumstances, identities, and worldviews. The opportunity is to build on this call to connect by creating environments where different kinds of connection are possible, accessible, safe, and meaningful.
So as we think about connection this Mental Health Week, maybe it is worth asking ourselves: what kind of connection do I actually need right now and how might that be different from what someone else needs from me?
Community Involvement
Social Intimacy
Attraction To Crowds
Social Learning