4．
We all need to feel understood， recognized and affirmed （证实） by our friends， family and romantic partners． We all need to find our tribe．
Research has shown that among the benefits that come with being in a relationship or group， feeling accepted is regarded as the most important driver of meaning． When other people think you matter and treat you as if you matter， you believe you matter， too．
Though we all share a need to belong， in the first decades of the 20th century， many influential psychologists and physicians did not acknowledge this fundamental aspect of human nature． The idea that children needed parental love and care to live a full and meaningful life was not only considered medically dangerous， it was dismissed as immoral and disgusting．
As behavioural psychology came into fashion and academic psychologists turned their attention to child-raising， this view shifted and they began to examine and affirm the vital importance of attachment in early life． They discovered that people， whatever their age， needed more than food and shelter to live full and healthy lives．
But， sadly， many of us lack close ties． At a time when we are more connected digitally than ever before， rates of social isolation （孤立） are rising． The results of an Age UK poll published recently suggest that half a million people over the age of 60usually spend each day alone， and it's not unusual for another half a million people to go five or six days without seeing or speaking to someone．
All these figures reveal more than a rise in loneliness-they reveal a lack of meaning in people's lives． In surveys， we list our close relationships as our most important sources of meaning． Research shows that people who are lonely and isolated feel their lives are less meaningful．
While close relationships are critical for living a meaningful life， they are not the only important social bonds we need to cultivate （培养）． Psychologists have also discovered the value of small moments of intimacy （亲昵行为）． "High-quality connections，" as one researcher calls them， are positive， short-term interactions between two people when a couple holds hands on a walk or when two strangers have an empathetic （移情作用的） conversation on a plane． High-quality connections have the potential to unlock meaning in our interactions with acquaintances， colleagues and strangers．
We can't control whether someone will make a high-quality connection with us， but we can all choose to start one． We can say hello to a stranger on the street rather than look away． We can choose to value people rather than devalue them． We can invite people to belong．
| Passage outline | Supporting details |
| The need to belong | ♦Everyone hopes to develop a （1） ______ of belonging in a group．
♦ People's self-respect is （2） ______ by other people's opinion． |
The changing
（3） ______ to belonging | ♦Many famous experts in the first decades of the 20th century （4） ______
that people had the need to belong．
♦Experts later came to realize that people， regardless of their age，
needed （5） ______ to enjoy full and healthy lives． |
| Consequences of （6） ______ close ties | ♦Many people are cut off from the world and feel （7） ______ ．
♦People who do not have enough close relationships find their life has
less （8） ______ ． |
| Another way to meet the need | ♦High-quality connections make a （9） ______ in helping satisfy our
need to belong．
♦We should （10） ______ to make a high-quality connection． |