The way we treat each other can help us feel like we belong — or not. Belonging is the sense that we’re part of a larger group that accepts and values us for who we are, to which we can contribute; we feel like we have roots, maybe even a home.

As humans, we evolved to move through the world together. There can be destructive consequences when belonging is missing, including for our health. Amid the pain of not belonging, we feel more threatened and stressed in the world, and sometimes we’ll seek out belonging wherever we can get it — even in extremist, violent ideological groups.

But there are small things we can do, day in and day out, to feel that we belong and help others feel the same.

Read the article from the Greater Good Science Center on UCnet

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