# Why It’s Nice to Know You Source URL:: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/05/happiness-knowledge-edgar-allan-poe/678530/ It’s surprisingly simple: Just make the effort to get to know other people. ## Highlights > [!quote]+ %%Updated on Thu May 30 2024 10:08:38 GMT-0400%% > > Being understood yourself starts with taking the trouble to understand others. > [!quote]+ %%Updated on Thu May 30 2024 10:08:38 GMT-0400%% > > A great deal of research has demonstrated that feeling known by others brings higher well-being. For example, one study in 2008 showed that when measuring life satisfaction on a one-to-seven scale, simply feeling “more understood” on a given day pushed up satisfaction by nearly half a point. The scholars also noticed significant gender differences: For instance, when women felt misunderstood, their life satisfaction fell by about three times more than men’s.