If we are lucky, we’ve got a few besties and some close ties with family. I am discovering another powerful but often overlooked connection: loose ties.

In Hali Lee’s new book “The Big We,” she talks about the power of “loose ties.” Her book, which focuses on philanthropic giving circles, discusses how forming kinship and being in community with one another helps us all become better citizens. It’s much easier to care about a community when you feel part of it. Loose ties can help us connect with each other.

She describes loose ties as those casual, infrequent, fleeting connections that might happen between neighbors or with a barista, yoga classmate, or another dog owner you meet in the park. They are opportunities for new inputs from slightly different points of view. Steve Jobs famously designed the Pixar building with a lobby/crosswalk/plaza space through which people had to traverse multiple times per day. Those chance encounters as you walk from point A to B can often elicit a conversation that solves a problem or sparks an idea.

I’ll admit, I can hurry past these casual encounters in favor of expediency, but I do know that when I stop, take a breath, and share a few words, it always feels better.

Lee shares that the idea of loose ties was first promulgated by a researcher at Stanford who looked at how people found and got jobs (loose ties helped more than close ones). A 2016 study connected loose ties to happiness—people with larger networks of acquaintances tend to be happier overall, having a greater sense of belonging and even security.

This idea was all brought home to me while I walked my dog on one of the first sunny, mild days of summer. Ray, a neighbor further down my block whom I hadn’t seen in a long time, was the first person I encountered. In just a few minutes, we engaged in conversation and caught up. He made me laugh with a funny recent travel experience he had. Next, I passed a gentleman who I run into often, but we’ve never exchanged names—even though he knows my dog’s name without fail. This time we did—Steve. Around the block I found Libby and Arturo walking their greyhound. We had another short but very sweet conversation, challenging each other to remember each other’s names on our next encounter. When I got home, I was aware of feeling serene and just a bit more cheerful than when I started my walk.

Nicholas Kristof writes, “Solutions to loneliness are like that—little nudges to encourage us to mingle the way we evolved to.” Loose ties can turn into something deeper if we’re open to it. It might be related to career opportunities, social and emotional benefits, or broader perspectives and creativity.

Hallway conversations, chance meetings, and neighbor hellos are incredible opportunities to engage, expand, and energize. Don’t miss them!