But wherever you look, it’s the places where residents share more meals that tend to report greater average life satisfaction.

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Part of what makes the rate of meal-sharing such a good measure is that it’s relatively objective. It’s easy to ask and answer, it’s not something people are likely to hide or lie about (like they might for income), and it can be easily compared across countries, cultures, individuals and across time.

Of course, it has its limitations. For instance, how do we know whether sharing meals makes people happier, or if people share more meals when they’re happy to begin with?

We can’t say for certain, but chances are it goes both ways, at least to some extent.

Other factors can muddy the waters. For example, are people more likely to share a meal if they have the money to go out and meet people at a restaurant?

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These factors, at least, can be accounted for, and researchers found the relationship between meal-sharing and happiness held even after considering income, education, employment and a buffet of other indicators. The more meals you share, the happier you tend to be.

Those who shared 13 meals with others in the previous week reported the highest average life satisfaction. That tumbles the fewer meals respondents shared in the past week. But the biggest jump is between those who ate all meals alone and those who ate at least one meal with someone else.

While the relationship holds across demographics, there are some differences in the ways meal-sharing tendencies affect different cohorts.

Both men and women who eat more frequently with others report higher life satisfaction and feeling more positive emotions, but when we look at the negative impact of dining alone, it tends to hit women harder.

By age, both young and old people report higher levels of negative emotions if they dine alone. But there are much bigger gaps in life satisfaction and the level of positive emotions reported for young people dining alone compared with older adults. The good news is that young people tend to share more meals than their elders.

One strong explanation for why meal-sharing might be linked with happiness is that eating with other people is a way of strengthening social connections.

Decades of research has shown social connectedness is key to our happiness, mental and physical health. People with stronger social connections are also more likely to be promoted, less likely to commit crimes and tend to live longer lives, while those who are socially isolated or lonely tend to experience more negative life outcomes.

This is good news for policymakers who might be looking for new, cost-effective and practical ways to boost happiness. Funding for initiatives or new programs centred around meal-sharing could be a realistic way to help strengthen social ties and well-being.

As a bonus, the research also found that sharing meals was linked to higher enjoyment of the food consumed or prepared. Put simply, eating your food with other people probably makes your food taste better.

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While the findings certainly have implications for high-up decision-makers, it’s also something which individuals can think about in their everyday lives. If sharing meals is linked to higher life satisfaction and happiness, it could be worth finding ways to increase the number of meals you share with those around you.

So when your parents drag you to the table for dinner, or when you’re deciding whether to go eat your lunch alone or with colleagues, there’s a good argument for why you should step away from your room or desk and break bread together. It could just make you happier.