‘Heart hands’ wall art, £65; set of two ‘LOVE’ mugs, £17, oliver bonas.com
CONNECTION IS HEALTHY. In fact, research suggests that one of the strongest predictors of living to older than 100 years is frequent social connection.* In a trial, scientists at the University of Adelaide in Australia investigated how kindness affects the way we connect with others and nature. They compared a group of volunteers practising the loving-kindness meditation - which involves developing compassion for loved ones, colleagues, neighbours and even challenging people - with volunteers doing a mindfulness or relaxation meditation for the same period. They found that the loving-kindness meditation improved the participants’ connection with others and the natural world.