With all the talk of what to eat, what not to eat, and how much to eat, we often fail to consider one factor that is equally as important to our wellbeing, and that is how to eat.

While Americans’ increasing abandonment of home-cooked meals certainly has negative nutritional implications, the abandonment of the dinner table is an equally troubling trend. My guess is that the fast food and frozen dinners that are replacing home-cooked meals are not being eaten at the table but rather in front of the TV, at the computer or in the car.

Yet it has been shown that children who eat dinner together with family are happier and less troubled as a result than those who do not. And I think these benefits apply to friends who eat together, too.

For the first time since I moved out of my parents’ house four and a half years ago, I live in a household with roommates who value eating together. For months, the four of us have regularly cooked together and dined at the table together. We also regularly have friends over for dinner. In my opinion, there is no better way to cherish life and companionship than to share food with friends.

This communal spirit around food has, without a doubt, contributed immensely to the positive atmosphere in our home. And in times when we eat together less frequently, it is obvious that something is lacking.

Want a better life? Don’t just eat better, eat together.