How to Bolster Belonging in an Hour or Less

Finding belonging can be the work of a lifetime. It can take decades of patience and resilience to cultivate meaningful relationships and find our place in the world.

But recent psychology research shows that brief, carefully calibrated, strategically timed behavioral interventions can substantially and sustainably enhance the experience of belonging, particularly for young people who feel marginalized.

The work of building belonging doesn’t always have to be slow.

"Belonging Uncertainty" in College

Consider students transitioning from high school to college. For many young people, this period is marked by uncertainty and anxiety about making friends, fitting in, feeling at home, or succeeding academically. Students from historically underrepresented or marginalized groups often experience intensified challenges, frequently questioning whether they really belong on campus. This "belonging uncertainty" can lead students to prematurely abandon their educational pursuits, negatively impacting their future careers, health, and well-being. People often experience similar challenges in the transition from college to the workplace.

The Stanford psychologist Gregory Walton and his colleagues have demonstrated that simple, brief interventions—termed "wise interventions"—can directly address these insecurities. Walton's concept of "social belonging" centers on an individual's perception of their acceptance and right to participate in a setting like a school or workplace. It's a function of connectedness in terms of both people and place together.

In Walton’s “social belonging intervention,” students learn first from survey results that their feelings of isolation and doubt are extremely common and also generally temporary. Next, they read authentic, relatable narratives from older peers who successfully overcame similar struggles, finding the support and connection they needed over time. To close the exercise, students write encouraging letters to future students, summarizing what they’ve learned and affirming that belonging grows naturally with time and effort.

This brief intervention—taking less than an hour—has shown powerful results. Participants display higher completion rates in college, improved academic performance, stronger mental and physical health, and increased social integration. Notably, Black students in these interventions reported improved grades, enhanced well-being, and even greater life and career satisfaction about a decade later.

Similar interventions have successfully reduced gender disparities in male-dominated fields, like engineering, fostering greater social participation, improved experiences, and deeper friendships across demographic divides.

Why does this simple strategy have such an outsized impact? To put it simply, students shift how they interpret their experiences. By understanding that challenges are common and surmountable, students start to actively seek supportive relationships, mentorship, and community-building rather than self-isolating. This builds virtuous cycles of belonging.

Amid the current backlash against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, these "wise interventions" offer constructive evidence that such interventions can result in tangible, practical improvements in career and life outcomes. There’s nothing political or ideological about applying an empirically proven toolkit for helping people overcome insecurities and feel included.

Usefulness Beyond Schools

This example should extend beyond campuses. In workplaces confronting polarization or cultural divides, similar interventions can foster healthier, more cohesive organizational cultures. Business leaders can adapt these strategies to ease transitions, foster mentorship, and build overall belonging that boosts morale, innovation, and retention.

Local governments can also integrate these kinds of interventions into public health strategies or community development initiatives, helping participants overcome social isolation. These kinds of strategies can ultimately help to improve civic participation and trust across communities.

The Equity Accelerator (formerly the College Transition Collaborative), co-founded by Walton, is implementing these approaches across diverse settings, from middle schools—where interventions reduce disciplinary issues—to workplaces aiming to strengthen team cohesion and culture.

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In this polarized era, when many leaders and organizations are disinvesting from DEI training or other similar initiatives, "wise interventions" could offer a way forward. People are longing for belonging. We need to scale up proven strategies that help people find it.