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As we increasingly integrate technology into our lives, we need a better framework for understanding social interactions across the communication landscape. Utilizing survey data in which more than 4,600 people across the United States, India, and Japan described a recent social interaction, this article qualitatively and quantitatively explores what makes an interaction meaningful. A qualitative analysis of respondents’ own words finds that meaningful interactions are those with emotional, informational, or tangible impact that people believe enhance their lives, the lives of their interaction partners, or their personal relationships. A quantitative analysis predicting respondents’ ratings of recent interactions finds the attributes most likely to facilitate meaningfulness include strong ties (e.g., friends and family), community ties (e.g., neighbors), shared activities, and synchronicity; meaningful social interactions are also more likely to be planned in advance and memorialized with photos or videos. These attributes are consistent across cultures. Although popular rhetoric often juxtaposes people’s online lives against their offline lives, this research finds in-person interactions can be just as meaningful as technology-mediated interactions. We conclude with a new framework for thinking about social interactions more holistically.

Objective This study was performed to develop a murine aerosol infection model of brucellosis to investigate the pathogenicity and immune reactions induced by aerosolized Brucella and to identify key proteins associated with Brucella infection in lung tissue. Methods BALB/c mice were exposed to aerosolized Brucella melitensis 5 (M5) for 30 minutes and killed at 1, 3, 7, and 15 days post-exposure. Clinical observation, pathological analysis of lung tissue, and cytokine expression detection were then performed. Proteomic analysis based on two-dimensional electrophoresis and mass spectrometry was used to identify proteins exhibiting significant changes in expression in lung tissues during Brucella infection. Results Pathological analysis revealed alveolar wall thickening, telangiectasia with hyperemia, inflammatory cell infiltration, large areas of congestion and bleeding, and areas of focal necrosis. The T-helper 1 type immune response played an important role during aerosol infection, and 12 differentially expressed proteins were involved in the infectious process in lung tissue. Conclusion These results contribute to our understanding of the pathogenic process of Brucella in the lung tissue of BALB/c mice challenged with aerosolized Brucella . Some of the identified proteins may be potential targets in future therapeutic strategies.