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; it is a dimension of overall health and well-being that results from connections with family, friends, co-workers and community.
Interest in community health has increased in recent years. In particular, the Covid-19 pandemic has drawn attention to our social lives and their decline. According to the Meta-Gallup study, 24 percent of people all over the world feel lonely. The Belonging Barometer survey conducted by the American Immigration Council also found that 74 percent of Americans do not feel connected to their local community.
This feeling correlates with changing behavior: people now spend on average 24 more hours a month alone and 20 fewer hours with friends compared to twenty years ago; involvement in social groups, membership in local clubs and membership in religious organizations decreased; and the percentage of single-person households has more than doubled since 1960. Another study found that there is a surprising decline in the number of close friends that adults have: in 1990, only 3 percent of Americans had no close friends; today the number exceeds 12%.
This crisis has spurred initiatives such as the U.S. Surgeon General’s designation of loneliness as a public health priority and the World Health Organization’s creation of a global commission focused on human connection.
However, most people still underestimate the importance of interpersonal relationships to their longevity. In fact, social health is linked to: Increase by 50 percent longevity, making it as vital to our life expectancy as avoiding smoking, fighting obesity and exercising regularly. We must urgently prioritize and invest in community health. Here’s how to do it.
Make community health a priority
To stay physically hearty, nourish your body, for example by striving to walk 10,000 steps a day or sleep eight hours a night. To maintain your mental health, you can meditate every day or go to therapy every week. Being socially hearty requires similar intentions and consequences. Try the 5-3-1 guideline: try to interact with five different people each week, have at least three close relationships, and spend an hour a day connecting, preferably face-to-face. Just as each of us needs to consume a different number of calories, these numbers may be higher or lower than what we personally care about; apply them as a starting point to explore what social health looks like for you.
Start petite
Uncomplicated actions can have a significant impact on your social health. For example, research has shown that people tend to underestimate how much sending a nice message via text or email will be appreciated, and that even tiny phone calls a few times a week can measurably reduce feelings of loneliness. So try using your connection first: Instead of scrolling through headlines in your queue or turning on a podcast on your commute, text a friend with 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 gigantic
Following the boom in the mental health industry, the next frontier of health in our economy will focus on community health. Entrepreneurs and investors are already focusing on this, with innovations like community fitness gyms, friendship coaches and AI companions becoming more common. But no matter what profession you pursue, you have opportunities to shape a more socially hearty future. For example, teachers can teach networking skills in the classroom; doctors can check whether they are isolated during visits; architects can include meeting spaces in their designs; city authorities can support creators of local communities; and employers can create a connected workplace culture.
Stretch your social muscles
Depending on your specific life stage and circumstances – such as a recent move to a up-to-date city and the need to build a community in your up-to-date home, or working remotely and the need for more face-to-face interactions – for example, you may need to stretch your social muscles to expand your social network . But how? Research shows that friendships are formed 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 as they transitioned from high school to university and found that up-to-date friendships faded if they did not maintain regular communication and do activities together. Similarly, another study found that for an adult who recently moved to a up-to-date city, it takes at least 50 hours to turn a up-to-date acquaintance into a friend; the more time together, the closer the friendship becomes.
Deepen existing relationships
Stretching is about increasing the amount of connection in your life; toning is about improving the quality of the connection. This requires curiosity and sensitivity. In a meta-analysis, researchers concluded that people like you more when you confide in them, and you like the people you confide in more. Choose the right context: Disclosing personal information is viewed positively by people you already know and by up-to-date acquaintances in one-on-one conversations, but not necessarily by strangers in public places. Choose depth over breadth: Sharing something intimate leads to more likeability than sharing a lot of information. The survey of more than 4,600 people in the U.S., India and Japan found that people from different cultures found interactions more meaningful when they went beyond uncomplicated conversations and added value through emotional connection, knowledge exchange or practical lend a hand.