Give your social health a well-deserved workout

Next year will be a turning point in which people around the world realize that their health is not only physical and mental, but also social. Social health focuses on relationships; it’s a measure of your overall health and well-being that comes from connecting with family, friends, coworkers, and community.

In recent years, the focus on social health has accelerated. In particular, the Covid-19 pandemic has drawn attention to our social lives and their decline. According to a Meta-Gallup survey, 24 percent of people feels lonely in the whole world. The Affiliation Barometer survey The American Immigration Council also found that 74 percent of Americans do not feel connected to their local community.

This mood is associated with changed behavior: people today spend an average of 24 hours more each month than twenty years ago, and 20 hours less with friends; participation in community groups, membership in local clubs, and membership in faith organizations have declined; 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 among adults: In 1990, only 3 percent of Americans had no close friends; today that figure is more than 12 percent.

The crisis has spurred initiatives such as the US Surgeon General elevating loneliness as a public health priority and the World Health Organization’s creation of a global commission on human connectedness.

However, most people still underestimate how important relationships are to their longevity. In fact, social health is related to a 50 percent increase longevity, making it as important to our lives as avoiding smoking, fighting obesity, and exercising regularly. We urgently need to prioritize and invest in social health. Here’s how.

Prioritize Social Health

To be physically fit, for example, you feed your body by aiming to walk 10,000 steps a day or sleep eight hours a night. You can meditate daily or go to weekly therapy to stay mentally healthy. Being socially healthy requires similar intention and consistency. Try the 5-3-1 Guideline: aim to communicate with five different people each week, have at least three close relationships, and spend an hour a day connecting, preferably face-to-face. As each of us needs to consume a different number of calories, these numbers may be higher or lower than what you personally gain; Use them as a starting point to explore what social health looks like for you.

Start small

Simple actions can make a meaningful difference to your social health. For example, research has shown that people tend to overestimate how much a nice message via text or email would be appreciated, and even short phone calls a few times a week can measurably reduce feelings of loneliness. So try connecting first: instead of scrolling through titles while waiting in line or putting on a podcast on your way to work, text 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 connect with.

Think big

Following the boom in the mental health industry, the next health frontier in our economy will center on social health. With innovations such as social fitness gyms, friendly trainers and artificial intelligence companions becoming increasingly commonplace, entrepreneurs and investors are already zeroing in. But regardless of your profession, you have opportunities to shape a more socially healthy future. For example, teachers can teach relational skills in the classroom; doctors can check for isolation 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—like moving to a new city and needing to build community in your new home, or working in a remote job and wanting more face-to-face communication—you may need to stretch. your social muscles to expand your social network. But how? Research shows that friendships develop over 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 and found that new friendships fizzled out if they didn’t regularly communicate and engage in activities together. Similarly, another study found that it took a minimum of 50 hours for an adult who had just moved to a new city to turn a new acquaintance into a friend; The more time they spend together, the closer the friendship becomes.

Deepen existing relationships

Stretching is about increasing the amount of connection in your life; toning is related to improving the quality of the connection. It takes curiosity and vulnerability to do so. In a meta-analysis, researchers concluded that when you trust them, people like you more, and you like the people you trust more. Choose the right context: disclosure of personal information is welcomed by people you already know and new acquaintances in one-on-one conversations, but not necessarily by strangers in public. Go deep rather than broad: sharing something intimate gets more likes than sharing too much information. A survey of more than 4,600 people in the US, India and Japan found that people from different cultures find interactions more meaningful when they go beyond small talk to provide value through emotional connection, knowledge sharing or practical assistance.