The best way to make friends: Keep showing up

• "You need consistency," Holt-Lunstad tells Axios. "It takes time to get to know people. It takes time to go from a stranger to an acquaintance, from an acquaintance to a friend."

Effective routines for connection can be daily, weekly, month or annually. Holt-Lunstad suggests:

• Daily: A morning or an evening walk with a friend, lunch with a coworker, or simply saying "hello" to people you see regularly.
• Weekly: A yoga class, brunch with friends, or attending church or another faith-based gathering.
• Monthly: Hosting a book club, game night or movie night, volunteering, or eating dinner with extended family.
• Annually: A family vacation, a trip with former college roommates or celebrating holiday traditions.

The bottom line: Holt-Lunstad says, "We can think of social activity as somewhat akin to physical activity — it's not something that's a one and done."