A free, self-guided course that turns the science of loneliness and social isolation into small, doable steps — worked through at your own pace, right in your browser.
A self-guided course for stronger social connection — built around what the science shows actually works.
Loneliness is one of the most common struggles there is — and one of the most changeable. Tether is built to help you change it, one small step at a time.
Loneliness is the distance between the connection you have and the connection you want. That gap is real — and it responds to the right kind of attention.
Feeling disconnected isn't rare or shameful. It's one of the most widely shared human experiences — and naming it is the first move toward changing it.
Decades of research explain why loneliness hurts, why it can become self-reinforcing, and — crucially — which actions reliably loosen its grip.
Small, repeated steps compound. Tether breaks the science into actions small enough to actually do, on the days you have the least to give.
Tether is structured like a small, carefully sequenced course. Take it in order, or jump to the parts that matter most to you right now.
A few short, private well-being check-ins give you an honest baseline — so the course can meet you where you actually are.
Bite-sized lessons explain what loneliness is and build practical skills — drawn from CBT and group-based loneliness interventions.
Habit tracker, thought records, a journal, and social goals turn each lesson into small actions you carry into your week.
Six evidence-based guidelines — developed through an international expert process — are the north star of the course. Every lesson, habit, and goal traces back to one of them.
Treat connection like sleep, food, or exercise — an ongoing investment, not an afterthought.
Build the skills and self-trust that make connection easier — and help others around you do the same.
Acquaintances, friendships, intimates — each layer matters. Spread your investment across several people.
Daily contact matters, and so does quality. The course helps you make sure you're getting both.
The connections you already have are the highest-yield place to invest — and the easiest to neglect.
Embodied presence does things screens cannot. Use technology to facilitate connection, not replace it.
Explore the full guidelines at socialconnectionguidelines.org.
Start by understanding loneliness and assessing your own social health. Then build, in whatever order suits you, the skills that close the gap.
Eight short lessons on what loneliness is, why we need each other, and how to assess where your social health stands today.
Two evidence-based programs — Acts of Kindness, and Acting Like an Extravert.
Strengthen the groups and identities that anchor you. Adapted from Groups 4 Health.
CBT skills for social anxiety, cognitive distortions, and fear of rejection.
A practical library — from small talk to deep friendship, conflict, and graceful endings.
Strategies for the real-world obstacles: time, mobility, money, and stigma.
Each lesson hands you a practical tool — so insight turns into something you actually do this week.
Tick off small connection actions each day. Streaks make it stickier.
Catch and challenge unhelpful social thoughts as they happen.
Reflect after activities. Past entries stay in one place to look back on.
Set SMART goals tied directly to the Public Health Guidelines.
Tether translates peer-reviewed science on loneliness and social connection into a format you can actually work through on your own.
Organized around guidelines developed through an international Delphi process with social-connection researchers.
Lessons adapt cognitive-behavioural and group-based loneliness interventions shown to help in clinical trials.
Claims throughout the course link straight to the studies behind them — nothing asks for blind trust.
Everything you write — check-ins, journal entries, goals — is stored only in your own browser. Nothing is sent to a server, and no account is required to begin.
Open the course and take the first short lesson. You can stop any time — and pick up exactly where you left off.