Cultivate a happier heart

Want to be happier and more successful in 2023? Then put your relationships front and centre

You'd expect relationship coach, author and host of The Relationship Guy podcast John Kenny to wax lyrical about the value of human connections. What you might not expect is just how fervently he believes relationships are the key to happiness and success.

'We are, as humans, an ultra-social species. From the moment we are born - and some suggest even before we are born - we have a need to connect, and we can't survive without it,' he says.

'There are dozens of research studies that conclude that satisfying relationships make us happier, healthier and more fulfilled, helping us to be better able to drive ourselves onwards and achieve the success we aim for. Relationships can even help you to live longer.'

To get really granular, Kenny asserts that we can narrow this down to one thing: relationships are connected to our strongest emotions and, therefore, have the most significant impact on our well-being. When those emotions are positive, we feel happiness, contentment, peace and calm. When they're negative, we can feel lonely, anxious and depressed.'