Why Connection Is Our Greatest Superpower
You don’t need a cape to be a superhero and make a difference in someone’s life.
Jan 11, 2026
Written by our Founder and Chairman, the Celebrations Pulse letters aim to engage with our community. By welcoming your ideas and sharing your stories, we want to help you strengthen your relationships with the most important people in your life.
If you’re a fan of movies, you’ve probably noticed how popular superhero films are these days. We’re drawn to characters who defy gravity, stop speeding trains, or reshape reality in other ways to save the world just before the credits roll.
Walking out of theaters, I often hear people talking about what they’d do if they had a superpower. The truth is, all of us already do. It doesn’t involve a cape or special effects, but it can change how people feel. Sometimes, that’s what’s needed to save the day.
What is this superpower? It’s our ability to connect with other people.
You reveal this power when you check in with a loved one, chat with a friend, or even nod to a stranger. Connecting with people reminds them they matter and sets off ripple effects that extend further than anyone realizes.
Longtime readers of the Celebrations Pulse may have noticed that I often return to this idea. I usually capture it with a reminder: Use your power. As we begin a new year, it’s a good time to explore this superpower and why it matters.
Answering the signal
Every superhero story has a villain. In ours, it’s the epidemic of loneliness. Technology has made it easier to stay in touch, yet harder to feel really connected. Over time, those shallow connections can leave relationships more fragile than before.
Research shows that loneliness and social isolation carry real consequences for physical and mental health, from higher rates of depression and anxiety to an increased risk of heart disease. A former U.S. Surgeon General has described loneliness as a major public health crisis.
The problem can feel overwhelming because it’s easy to assume it requires large-scale solutions that are beyond any one person’s reach. But relationships don’t start with sweeping initiatives. They begin one person at a time, which is where our superpower comes into play.
Each of us carries more influence than we realize, and small actions shape how people around us feel. Send the text you’ve been meaning to send, make a call instead of putting it off, or start a conversation without knowing where it will lead.
The Harvard Study of Adult Development, which has followed participants for decades, has found that people with strong relationships live happier, healthier lives. The impact of our superpower, when we choose to use it, is very real.
The power behind the power
The idea that better relationships lead to better lives isn’t new, and it helps to look to ancient philosophy — specifically Stoicism — to understand why it’s so enduring. Long before modern research, the Stoics pointed in the same direction. They believed a good life isn’t built on control alone, but on attention and the focus of our energy where it can make a difference.
Marcus Aurelius wrote that human beings are made for cooperation. Strength, in his view, comes from understanding our place in something larger than ourselves. That way of thinking helps explain why relationships matter so much: Our interconnection grounds us.
When I talk about using your power, I mean focusing on what’s within your reach and leaving the world just a little better than you found it. You can’t solve loneliness everywhere, but you can reach out to one person.
I learned that lesson years ago as a counselor at St. John’s Residence for Boys, which I revisited recently. Those years showed me how much influence one person can have through small choices like saying hello, showing interest, and not giving up on a conversation too quickly.
The Achilles' heel of connection
Every superhero has a weakness. For Superman, it’s kryptonite. Batman is shaped by emotional restraint, and Iron Man learns that confidence, left unchecked, can become a liability.
Our superpower of connection has a vulnerability, too, and it tends to live in our heads. I see it when I walk with friends along a nearby beach. While I’m in the habit of greeting people we pass, one friend once told me how awkward that makes him feel.
That reaction points to our weakness: hesitation. It’s the belief that reaching out might be intrusive or unwelcome. We tell ourselves a greeting might be misunderstood, or a small gesture won’t matter much. Those thoughts shape how we act.
In practice, these interactions rarely go badly. At worst, you’ll get a polite nod in return; sometimes you’ll stop and chat, and now and then, something more meaningful begins.
Those small moments of connection can save the world from loneliness — if you choose to use your power.
All the best,
Jim
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AUTHOR
Jim McCann is the founder and chairman of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. as well as a business leader, author, and philanthropist with a passion for helping people deliver smiles. Devoted to helping others, he also founded Smile Farms, a 501(c)3 organization that provides meaningful jobs in agricultural settings to young adults and adults with developmental disabilities.
