One of the great things about memes is that they help us stay connected. When life gets in the way, weeks can go by unnoticed without us texting a friend, "Hey, how are you?” But as long as we receive a meme from them once in a while, we can rest assured that all is well.

Today, we have a collection of them that is perfect for this purpose. Provided by the X page “Spill the Memes,” they are guaranteed to make anyone chuckle with their relatability. To find them, all you have to do is scroll down!

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According to Dr. Mary Kempnich, a psychologist at Oxford University, memes are indeed a great way to stay in touch. This is not only because you’re letting them know you’re thinking of them, but also because there’s no pressure to reply.

"You're not asking them anything that they will need to elaborate on,” she said. "You basically are just showing each other that you exist, you care, and you want to make each other laugh. And it doesn't really matter how your day is going.”

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Therefore, she urges people not to underestimate the power of sending one, and when you are the one receiving it, she recommends leaving “a little like or a heart.”

While sending memes is a quick way to connect and, at times, might even seem lazy, it’s comforting to know that it still counts as a genuine way to maintain relationships. This is especially helpful when our social batteries are empty or we are too tired to properly reach out, but we still want to express that we care about them.

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Sometimes we just don’t have the psychological power to answer a text, even though we’re mindlessly scrolling online. Kempnich explains that this is more common than we might think.

“Responding to a message of a friend you care about actually takes some time and requires you to put in some effort especially if they’ve asked you questions that are not very easily answered in a minute or two,” she said. Whereas, passively scrolling is a more relaxing and distracting activity, especially if the person had a draining day or even a week.

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If you find yourself avoiding committing to answering a longer text, Dr. Kempnich again advises leaving a little comment or a like. This way, the friend is aware of your presence and informed that you’re not ready to reply properly just yet.

Luckily, in many relationships, there’s this unspoken mutual understanding that a person should not take it personally if the other doesn’t have the emotional capacity to send a text as usual. If memes are all we can do in the moment, that’s quite alright, said psychologist Andrea Bonior. It is certainly better than silence.

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After being MIA for a longer period of time, it can also feel a little uncomfortable to send an apology text, whereas sharing a good meme, an X post, or a TikTok can be a great icebreaker. “Sometimes having smaller, more fleeting interactions can keep things feeling more natural and connected than putting undue expectations on yourself that will only feel burdensome, or will lead to further growing apart,” Bonior said.

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However, in closer relationships, if you really don’t have the energy, psychologist and friendship expert Marisa G. Franco urges people to be transparent about it. Especially if the buddy is reaching out more than usual and you start sensing something might be wrong

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Franco suggests, “You might say, ‘Hey, I’m sorry, I’ve just been feeling tapped out right now and have been wanting to be in touch so much more than I am. I just wanted to make sure I was transparent with you, so I can let you know that if I take longer to respond than usual, it doesn’t mean I don’t care.'"

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Nevertheless, one shouldn’t necessarily feel bad if their friendship is only running on memes for a while. “No one friend has to be all things, and in fact, it’s healthy to have a community to fulfill all of your needs instead of expecting any one person to do it all,” Franco explains. “So even for people who communicate with friends only through memes, even if it is shallow, there’s nothing wrong with friendships of pure pleasure.”