We evolved to thrive as social-able creatures, back when tribal cultures thrived or failed based on collective action. The experience of loneliness is plaguing greater populations than ever today, from millennials out on their own for the first time to high-rise big-city dwellers to empty-nesters and those aging alone or isolated.

“Cohousing really builds into our daily lives more of the connections that have withered away,” a recent TIME magazine piece and related video says.

“We as humans build off of each other’s emotions,” says the founder of Commonspace, a 25-unit apartment arrangement catering to millennials looking for more communal lives. The tiny units with only 200 SF of private space swelled in attractiveness paired with 6000 SF of shared space. “It’s contagious, being in a room full of creative, positive people. It changes your emotional level.”

Read the full TIME piece and watch the video here.