Quiz: How Connected Are You?

Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy has been on a mission lately. Not to curb our smoking or drinking or get us going to the gym—but to encourage us to invest in our personal relationships. Because loneliness, research shows, may be more harmful to our health than our bad habits.

Research shows that prolonged loneliness can increase the risk of premature death by 30%—a truly staggering figure when you consider that nearly half of U.S. adults report having experienced feelings of isolation or solitude.

Humans have historically needed each other for survival, which is why Murthy says social connection is as essential to humanity as food, water or shelter. In our modern world, however, many of us carry on our daily lives without any meaningful engagement with others. This, says Murthy, is why we need to make some positive changes to our social lives.

How do you know if you have good enough connections? Take our quiz to find out—and get some tips on how to improve them.