Why Social Fitness Is Changing What a Night Out Looks Like for Friends

Most nights out default to the same script. Dinner, drinks, maybe a movie. But a quieter shift is reshaping how friends and couples spend an evening, and researchers say what you do together may matter more than where you eat. The best nights out, it turns out, might not involve a menu at all.

Open mics, improv classes, trivia, karaoke and craft workshops are drawing crowds looking for something more memorable than another round at the bar. And the science of friendship suggests they're onto something.

Why Social Fitness Matters

Socializing in America has narrowed. Most adult get-togethers revolve around eating or drinking, and that sameness leaves little room for the kind of shared novelty psychologists say strengthens relationships.

"Socialization culture, particularly for adults outside of school, has become really centered around eating and drinking. I think we've been successful because we've provided another option for people to do something with their friends outside their house," Tayler Carraway, cofounder of New York City art café Happy Medium, told Vogue.

The stakes are higher than a slow Friday night. People with close friendships report greater life satisfaction and are less likely to suffer from depression, according to the American Journal of Psychiatry. They are also less likely to die from heart problems and other chronic diseases, PLOS Medicine research found.

"Not exercising your social fitness is hazardous to your health," Robert Waldinger, a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, told Outside.

"When you lose emotional and social fitness, you lose everything," Emily Anhalt, a clinical psychologist and cofounder of Coa, a gym for mental health, told Outside. "Everything in life is going to feel better if you feel connected to other people to get through the tough things and enjoy the good things."

What the Research Says About Doing Something New Together

Novelty is the ingredient most nights out are missing. A 2000 study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that couples who took part in "novel" and "arousing" activities together reported stronger relationships and increased passion. Participants ranged from partnerships lasting two months to 15 years, and researchers noted the boost appeared after a shared task as short as seven minutes.

An earlier study of more than 50 married couples in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationshipsreached similar conclusions after 10 weeks of weekly activities described as exciting or pleasant.

Julianne Holt-Lunstad, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Brigham Young University, told the American Psychological Association that platonic connection deserves the same active promotion as physical health.

"After having to reduce social contact during the pandemic, we've realized how it impacts basically every sector of society. That suggests that each of these sectors can potentially play a role in solutions," Holt-Lunstad said.

She added, "What we know is that if we don't interact regularly, things go really bad remarkably fast. But what is the magic in these interactions that's keeping us healthy and sane? More and more researchers are saying there's this huge part of human behavior we know very little about. Let's change that."

Improve Your Social Fitness: The Nights Out Worth Trying

Appetite for alternatives is showing up in the data. A 2025 Eventbrite report found craft workshop events surged in 2024, with crochet events up 44 percent and jewelry-making up 34 percent. Interest in collage, crafting and pottery is climbing too.

Options worth checking in your city include these:

• Open mic nights. Low-pressure, unpredictable and hosted at bars, coffee shops and community spaces almost everywhere.
• Improv shows or classes. Watching is reliably funny. Taking a class forces the kind of vulnerability that fast-tracks connection.
• Stand-up comedy. Local shows tend to be cheaper and more intimate than big touring acts, and shared laughter bonds fast.
• Trivia night. Competitive, collaborative and a good excuse to argue about random facts. Most pubs run weekly rounds.
• Karaoke. Commitment-free silliness. Private rooms are widely available for groups who want a more contained experience.
• Jewelry-making classes. Some workshops run over several sessions. Others wrap in as little as three hours, letting you leave with a finished silver ring or similar piece.
• Pottery classes. Whether throwing clay together or painting pre-made pieces, the appeal is hands-on.
• Art cafés. Spaces built around programming for crafts and skills you might not have touched since grade school.
• Paint-and-sip classes. Popular with friend groups and equally fun as a date. Check local listings.

The common thread is simple. Something new, done together, tends to stick.

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This story was originally published July 5, 2026 at 7:25 AM.