The need for genuine contact with others — not proximity or interaction, but the felt experience of being in real relationship. This ranges from deep intimacy to the lighter sense of belonging within a group or community. What matters is the quality of contact, not the quantity. Distinct from [[Need - To Be Seen]], which is specifically about being recognised and understood. Connection requires reciprocity — it is the mutual exchange of presence, not a one-way act of being witnessed. ## Feelings that signal this need is unmet [[Lonely]] | [[Disconnected]] | [[Withdrawn]] [[Despairing]] | [[Invisible]] ## How it commonly manifests A background ache of isolation that persists even in company. Social interaction feels transactional or surface-level. There may be many acquaintances but few people with whom genuine vulnerability is possible. The body often registers this as a physical sensation — tightness in the chest, a hollow feeling, or a persistent sense of being on the outside looking in. In modern conditions, connection is increasingly scarce. Digital communication substitutes for contact without satisfying the underlying need, which is embodied and reciprocal. ## Values filter question *Am I in genuine contact with others — or merely in proximity?* ## Related needs [[Need - To Be Seen]] | [[Need - Presence]] [[Need - Mutuality]] | [[Need - Safety]]