Singer-songwriter Lucy Dacus, 30, recently sat down with singer, songwriter and actress Janelle Monáe, 39, for Rolling Stone’s “Musicians on Musicians” series.
The two discussed inspiration for songwriting, cinematic vision and Artificial Intelligence. They also discussed mental health. Specifically, they talked about the importance of socializing.
“I have a friend who’s studying public health at Johns Hopkins [University] right now,” Dacus said. “And one of the things they learned was, like, go to the party. You need to go to the party for your wellness.”
Stay home if you’re sick and have the alone time you need to decompress, she said, but remember that, ultimately, “you can’t just self-care your way alone.”
‘There’s a biological imperative to breathing each other’s air’
The importance of socializing is something experts have long emphasized.
The 2025 World Happiness Report found that “there’s a small uptick in life satisfaction around the world” with every additional lunch or dinner shared with other people, Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, editor of the report and director of the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford, previously told CNBC Make It.
Out of 14 weekly lunches and dinners, the optimal number to have with other people is 13. Researchers found that when it comes to wellbeing, the “social elements of our lives are as important, if not more important, than the wealth and health aspects,” he said.
Socializing also helps to combat loneliness. Nearly a quarter, 24% of 18-to-29-year-olds feel lonely or isolated all or most of the time, according to the Pew Research Center. The same is true for 20% of 30-to-49-year-olds.
“What makes a happy life is meaningful connections,” clinical psychologist Dr. Annabelle Chow told CNBC Make It last year. She recommends developing different types of friendships for your various activities and needs: work friends, “heart-to-heart” friends and, yes, even party friends.
Dacus also touched on the importance of online communities for queer and trans kids of her generation. But the singer did caution against using those interactions on the internet to completely replace in-person connection, which she says is vital.
“There’s a biological imperative to breathing each other’s air,” she said.
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