This post was co-authored by Terrell Strayhorn and J’Quen Johnson.

If you had to leave your school or workplace suddenly without any notice, would someone miss you? If you disappeared unexpectedly, would someone come looking for you? If so, who are those people, and where would you be sorely missed?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then you’re familiar with the feeling that sits at the heart of today’s discussion: a sense of belonging.

A sense of belonging is a basic need, a human right that profoundly impacts an individual’s ability to think clearly, work productively, and live optimally. Without this fundamental need in place, we are left to feel anxious, worried, unsettled, rejected, and alienated. But with it, we excel, flourish, get good grades, earn a promotion, make the team, and so much more.

As humans, we typically enjoy a sense of belonging when we’re made to feel “like we matter,” and we feel like we matter when we play important roles, realize that others depend on us, or command others’ attention such that our absence does not go unnoticed (Strayhorn, 2019, p. 15). Indeed, it’s when we feel heard, seen, respected, and valued as bona fide contributing members of the group or team. Figure 1 presents a visual summary of 7 core elements.

Belonging has many definitions. It refers to perceived social support and feeling accepted, cared about, important, respected, or valued by others in a group to which you wish to belong. It’s a motivation that takes on heightened importance in certain social contexts, especially for those who are subject to vulnerable stereotypes and low expectations, according to sources.

By heightened importance, we mean that there are certain times and spaces where people are more........

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