Give Your Social Health a Decent Workout

Next year will mark a turning point as people around the world finally realize that their health is not just physical and mental health, but also the health of society. Social health focuses on relationships; it is the dimension of overall health and well-being that comes from your connections with family, friends, colleagues, and community.

In recent years, people’s attention to social health has been accelerating. In particular, the Covid-19 pandemic has cast a spotlight on our social lives and their decline. According to a survey by Meta-Gallup, 24% of people The whole world feels alone. this Belonging Barometer Survey A survey by the American Immigration Council also found that 74% of Americans feel disconnected from their local communities.

The sentiment is linked to changes in behaviour: today, on average, people spend 24 hours more alone and 20 hours less with friends per month than they did 20 years ago; participation in community groups, participation in local clubs Membership and affiliation with faith-based organizations have declined; the share of single-person households has more than doubled since 1960. Only 3% of Americans have no close friends; in 1990, only 3% of Americans had no close friends. Today, that number is over 12%.

The crisis has inspired initiatives such as the U.S. surgeon general making loneliness a public health priority and the World Health Organization establishing a global commission focused on relationships.

However, most people still underestimate the importance of relationships to their longevity. In fact, social health and 50% improvement It’s just as important for longevity as avoiding smoking, tackling obesity and exercising regularly. We urgently need to prioritize and invest in the health of our society. Here’s how.

Put social health first

For example, to stay healthy, you can nourish your body by walking 10,000 steps a day or sleeping eight hours a night. To maintain your mental health, you can meditate daily or go to therapy weekly. Staying socially healthy requires similar intentions and consistency. Try the 5-3-1 guideline: Aim to interact with five different people per week, maintain at least three close relationships, and spend an hour a day communicating, preferably face-to-face. Just like we each need to consume a different number of calories, these numbers may be higher or lower than what you personally need; use them as a starting point to explore your social health.

Start with small things

Simple actions can have a meaningful impact on the health of your community. For example, research shows that people tend to underestimate how much a kind message sent via text message or email will be appreciated, and that even a brief phone call a few times a week can significantly reduce feelings of loneliness. So try to connect first: Instead of scrolling through the headlines while waiting in line or playing a podcast on your commute, send a friend a photo or call a family member to chat. Unlike taking care of your physical and mental health, taking care of your social health also directly benefits the people you come in contact with.

Think big

Following the boom in the mental health industry, the next health frontier in our economy will focus on social health. Entrepreneurs and investors are already taking notice, with innovations like social fitness gyms, friendship coaches, and artificial intelligence companions becoming more commonplace. But whatever your career, you have the opportunity to shape a healthier future for society. For example, educators can teach relationship skills in the classroom; doctors can screen for isolation during appointments; architects can incorporate gathering spaces into their designs; city officials can support local community builders; and employers can create connected workplaces. culture.

Stretch your social muscles

Depending on your specific life stage and circumstances (for example, you recently moved to a new city and need to build community in your new home, or you work remotely and crave more face-to-face interaction), you may need to expand your social reach to expand your social network. But how? Research shows that friendships develop through regular contact and shared experiences: the more time you spend with someone, the closer your relationship becomes. For example, one study tracked the social networks of students as they transitioned from high school to college for a year and a half and found that unless they communicated regularly and did activities together, new friendships disappeared. Likewise, another study showed that it takes at least 50 hours for an adult who recently moved to a new city to turn a new acquaintance into a friend; the more time spent together, the closer the friendship.

deepen existing relationships

Stretching is about increasing the number of connections in your life; tone is about improving the quality of connections. Doing so requires curiosity and vulnerability. In a meta-analysis, researchers concluded that when you confide in people, people like you more, and you like the person you confide in more. Choose the right context: People you already know and new acquaintances in one-on-one conversations will find it advantageous to disclose personal information, but strangers in public won’t necessarily think so. Go for depth, not breadth: Sharing something intimate is more likely to be liked than sharing a lot of information. A survey of more than 4,600 people in the United States, India and Japan shows that people from different cultures find interactions to be more meaningful when they go beyond small talk and provide value through emotional connection, knowledge exchange or practical help.