The next year will be a turning point when people around the world finally recognize that their health is not only physical and mental, but also social. Social health focuses on relationships; This is the dimension of your overall health and well-being that comes from connections with family, friends, coworkers, and community.
The focus on social health has intensified in recent years. In particular, the COVID-19 pandemic has drawn attention to our social lives and their decline. According to Meta-Gallup survey, 24 percent people Loneliness is felt all over the world. Related Barometer Survey The American Immigration Council also found that 74 percent of Americans do not feel connected to their local community.
This sentiment is related to changed behavior: today, people spend an average of 24 hours alone and 20 fewer hours with friends each month than they did two decades ago; Participation in community groups, membership in local clubs and affiliation with faith organizations has decreased; And the percentage of single-person households has more than doubled since 1960. Another survey found a surprising decline in the number of close friends as adults: In 1990, only 3 percent of Americans had no close friends; Today that figure is more than 12 percent.
The crisis inspired initiatives such as the U.S. Surgeon General elevating loneliness as a public health priority and the World Health Organization establishing a global commission focused on human connection.
However, most people still underestimate how important relationships are to their longevity. In fact, what is social health related to? 50 percent increase In longevity, making it as important to our lifespan as avoiding smoking, tackling obesity and getting regular exercise. We urgently need to prioritize and invest in social health. This way.
Make social health a priority
For example, to be physically healthy, you nourish your body by aiming for 10,000 steps a day or sleeping eight hours a night. To stay mentally healthy, you can meditate daily or take therapy on a weekly basis. Staying socially healthy requires the same intention and consistency. Try the 5-3-1 guideline: Aim to interact with five different people each week, maintain at least three close relationships, and spend an hour a day connecting, preferably face-to-face. Just as each of us needs to consume different numbers of calories, these numbers may be more or less than your individual calorie intake; Use them as a starting point to figure out what social health looks like for you.
start small
Simple actions can make a meaningful difference to your social health. For example, studies have shown that people underestimate how much they would appreciate sending a kind message by text or email, and even short phone calls a few times a week can increase feelings of loneliness. Can reduce. So try going for the connection first: Instead of scrolling headlines while waiting in line or putting on a podcast while traveling, send a photo to a friend 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 connect with.
think big
In view of 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 an interest, with innovations like social fitness gyms, friendship coaches and AI companions becoming increasingly common. But no matter what your profession, you have opportunities to shape a more socially healthy future. For example, teachers can teach relational skills in the classroom; Doctors can screen for detachment during appointments; Architects can incorporate gathering spaces into their designs; City officials can support local community builders; And employers can create connected workplace cultures.
flex your social muscles
Depending on your particular life stage and circumstances — such as recently moving to a new city and needing to build community in your new home, or having a remote job and craving more face-to-face interaction, for example — you may need to expand. You may need to flex your social muscles to expand your social network. But how? Research shows that friendships grow through regular contact and shared experiences: the more time you spend with someone, the closer you become. For example, one study tracked students' social networks for a year and a half during the transition from high school to university, finding that unless they communicated regularly and did activities together, new Friendship ends. Similarly, another study showed that, for an adult who has recently moved to a new city, it takes at least 50 hours to turn a new acquaintance into a friend; The more time you spend together, the closer your friendship will be.
deepen existing relationships
Stretching is about increasing the amount of connections in your life; Toning is all about improving the quality of the connection. To do this requires curiosity and sensitivity. In a meta-analysis, researchers concluded that people like you more when you trust them – and you like people you trust more. Choose the right context: Disclosing personal information is viewed favorably by people you already know and by new acquaintances in one-on-one conversations, but not necessarily by strangers in a public setting. Go for depth rather than detail: Sharing something intimate creates a greater sense of likeability than sharing a lot of information. A survey of more than 4,600 people in the US, India and Japan revealed that people from different cultures find conversations more meaningful when they move beyond small talk to emotional connections, exchange of knowledge or practical Provide value through help.