1) Make it a health issue. Solid friendships are crucial to your physical—yes, physical!—health. Did you know that poor-quality social support is the mortality-risk equivalent of smoking 15 cigarettes per day? Or that supportive friendships in your 20s are a solid predictor of being alive at 70? Genuine, nourishing friendships boost your immune system, improve your prognosis in various chronic health conditions, and lower your blood pressure—and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Emotionally, they help reduce your risk of disorders from depression and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder to anxiety disorders and substance abuse. If you’re always great with your gym regimen but keep putting off having lunch with the person who most makes you laugh, shuffle things up a bit.