But does it really matter if you feel connected in your community, as long as you have relationships and connectedness somewhere? (Like, on the Internet?)

Rare among studies of its kind, Kim and colleagues controlled for social connectedness at the individual level. "We also controlled for dispositional factors,” he said, “thinking that perhaps optimistic people might think that they are more socially connected.” The survey included measures of optimism, and the analysis also accounted for things like age, race, income, marital status, education, mental health, and known risk factors for heart attacks like diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure.

"Are you saying that people should get out and meet their neighbors and join community groups?" I asked.

"I don't think there's enough evidence for that,” Kim said, like a rock. “This is only a correlation; we didn't really isolate causation. But I really don't see how that could hurt."

I immediately thought of several ways. But it's more fun to envision it going well.

“Hey, I’m your neighbor from downstairs.”

“Oh, hi. I hear you singing sometimes.”

“Cool, I hear you dancing.”

“Oh, I wish I could dance! Will you teach me?”

“No. I’m a professional dancer, so that would just be too much for me.”

“I understand! Work-life balance. I just wanted to introduce myself because I heard it’s good for my health to know my neighbors.”

“Is it?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, come in, then. I was going to go to the gym, but let’s just talk instead.”

“Perfect. We’ll both decrease our risk of future heart attacks.”

“Lovely.”

“My name is Adam, by the way.”

“I’m Evelyn. But my friends call me Eve. Nice to meet you, Adam.”

“Nice to meet you, Eve. Nice to finally meet you.”

Well, I don’t know if the Adam and Eve bit makes sense. What if it was John Lennon and Paul McCartney? No. Then we’re just dealing less with allegory and more with factual error. The point is, serendipity, talk to people.

Kim suggests that the cardiac prosperity he documented may come through people checking in on one another and noticing health problems, sharing health-related information, lending money and sharing resources, and “eyes on the street”—sociologist Jane Jacobs’ famous sociological principle that people protect people. "Since I'm a psychologist,” Kim said, “I also really believe in how helpful emotional support can be in buffering against the toxic effects of stress."

The field of psychology has since the beginning, primarily focused on dysfunction. Researchers who identify as positive psychologists like Kim—a set that broke ground with eminent University of Pennsylvania professor Martin Seligman’s 2002 bestseller Authentic Happiness: Using the new positive psychology to realize your potential for lasting fulfillment—look at benefits of things like optimism and a sense of purpose in life. Kim and colleagues have specifically looked at the effects of “positive” dispositions on health.

"We're finding things like that increased optimism is associated with reduced risk of heart failure and stroke,” Kim said.