Give your Social Health a decent workout

Next year will mark 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; it’s the dimension of your overall health and well-being that comes from connecting with family, friends, coworkers, and community.

The emphasis on social health has accelerated in recent years. In particular, the Covid-19 pandemic has brought attention to our social life and its decline. According to a Meta-Gallup poll, 24 percent of people in the world you feel alone. U Membership Barometer Survey from the American Immigration Council also found that 74 percent of Americans do not feel connected to their local community.

That feeling correlates with changed behaviors: today, people spend an average of 24 hours more alone and 20 hours less with friends every month compared to two decades ago; involvement in community groups, membership in local clubs and membership in faith-based organizations have declined; and the percentage of single-person households has more than doubled since 1960. Another survey found that there is a surprising decrease in the number of close friends that adults have: in 1990, only 3 percent of l ‘Americans didn’t have close friends; today this figure is higher than 12 percent.

This crisis has stimulated initiatives such as the Surgeon General of the United States raising loneliness as a public health priority, and the World Health Organization establishing a global commission focused on human connection.

The majority of people, however, still underestimate how vital relationships are for their longevity. In fact, social health is related to a 50 percent boost in longevity, making it as important to our lives as avoiding smoking, tackling obesity and exercising regularly. We urgently need to prioritize and invest in social health. Here’s how.

Make Social Health a Priority

To be physically healthy, nourish your body with the goal of walking 10,000 steps a day or sleeping eight hours a night, for example. To be mentally healthy, you can meditate every day or go to weekly therapy. Being fully social requires similar intentions and consistency. Try the 5-3-1 Line: aim to interact with five different people every week, maintain at least three close relationships, and spend an hour a day connecting, preferably face-to-face. As we each need to consume a different number of calories, these numbers can be higher or lower than what you personally thrive; use it as a starting point to discover what social health is for you.

Start Small

Simple actions can make a significant difference to your social health. For example, studies have shown that people tend to underestimate how much sending a kind message via text or email will be appreciated, and even short phone calls a few times a week can measurably decrease feelings of loneliness. So try to go for the connection first: instead of scrolling through titles while waiting in line or putting on a podcast while traveling, text 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

Following the boom in the mental health industry, the next health frontier in our economy will center on social health. Entrepreneurs and investors are already zeroing in, with innovations like social fitness gyms, friendship coaches and AI companies becoming increasingly common. But no matter your profession, you have the opportunity to shape a healthier social future. For example, educators can teach relational skills in the classroom; doctors can screen for isolation during appointments; architects can incorporate meeting spaces into their designs; city ​​officials can support local community builders; and employers can create connected workplace cultures.

Stretch your Social Muscles

Depending on your particular life stage and circumstances—like you recently moved to a new city and need to build a community in your new home, or you work a remote job and crave more face-to-face interaction, for example—you may need to stretch. your social muscles to expand your social network. But how? Research shows that friendships grow from regular contact and shared experiences: the more time you spend with someone, the closer you become. One study, for example, tracked students’ social networks for a year and a half as they transitioned from high school to college, finding that new friendships fizzled out if they didn’t have regular communication and did activities together. Similarly, another study revealed that, for an adult who has recently moved to a new city, it takes a minimum of 50 hours to transform a new acquaintance into a friend; the more time together, the more friendship becomes.

Deepen existing relationships

Stretching is to increase the amount of connections in your life; toning is to improve the quality of connection. Doing so requires curiosity and vulnerability. In a meta-analysis, researchers concluded that people like you more when you trust them, and you like the people you trust more. Choose the right context: the disclosure of personal information is perceived favorably by people you already know and by new acquaintances in one-on-one conversations, but not necessarily by strangers in public settings. Go for depth over breadth: sharing something intimate leads to more likes than sharing a lot of information. A survey of more than 4,600 people in the United States, India and Japan showed that people in all cultures found interactions more meaningful when they went beyond small talk to provide value through emotional connection, exchange of knowledge or practical help.