This review argues that a distinctly positive form of social connection is made possible by the social identities that people derive from psychologically meaningful group memberships. These connections have important implications for mental health by virtue of their distinct capacity to furnish people with a sense of collective meaning, purpose, support, and efficacy. This analysis suggests that loneliness and its toxic effects arise in part from the challenges of achieving this distinct form of social connection in contemporary society. However, it also suggests that a good way to tackle loneliness and support mental health is by building, restoring, and sustaining social identities through meaningful group-based connections. We conclude by reflecting on the success of interventions that do precisely this — most notably Groups 4 Health.

这篇评论认为，人们从具有心理意义的群体成员身份中获得的社会身份使一种明显积极的社会联系形式成为可能。这些联系对心理健康具有重要意义，因为它们具有为人们提供集体意义、目的、支持和效能感的独特能力。该分析表明，孤独及其有害影响部分源于在当代社会中实现这种独特的社会联系形式所面临的挑战。然而，它也表明，解决孤独感和支持心理健康的一个好方法是通过有意义的基于群体的联系来建立、恢复和维持社会认同。最后，我们回顾了正是这样做的干预措施的成功——最值得注意的是组 4 健康。