By the numbers: Roughly 1 in 4 Americans (26%) in 2023 said they ate all of their meals alone the previous day — a 53% increase from 2003.

• Young adults are driving the solo dining trend, multiple studies show — and they're also reporting high levels of loneliness.

Zoom in: The more meals people shared, the happier they reported feeling — even when controlling for factors like income and employment, Gallup principal researcher Andrew Dugan tells Axios.

• The happiness jump was particularly high when comparing people who shared no meals to those who shared one meal a week, Dugan says.

Yes, but: There's a difference between enjoying the food and ambience at your table for one and scarfing takeout alone at home.

• Solo dining can be a positive, social event, if you go into it with the right mindset. Think: Choose a communal table, chat up someone at the bar.
• "Even if you're introverted and in a hurry, if you act extroverted, you end up improving your mood," Jenny Taitz, clinical psychologist and author of "Stress Resets," tells Axios.

The intrigue: Dugan says happiness levels max out after a certain number of shared meals.

• According to the data, happiness levels dip after 13 meals a week with others. "Everyone needs a little 'me time,'" he says.