The Power of Human Connection
Research continues to show that our need and desire for socialization and connection among others is as basic a need as that for food, water, and shelter. Humans are designed to be social and survive this way. Harvard conducted a wonderful long-term study that highlights the #1 thing making people happier (hint: it’s the topic of this post): read a little bit about it here and here!
“Personal connection creates mental and emotional stimulation, which are automatic mood boosters, while isolation is a mood buster.”
Physical Health
Human connection can keep you in good physical health, too! Research done with aging individuals has demonstrated markedly better physical health and wellbeing among more social people compared to not. Get out there and keep connecting with people that you care about!
Brain Health/Acuity
Social contact can help sharpen your memory and cognitive skills, like higher-level processing and attention. Many of us experienced more “fogginess” post-pandemic, which could very likely be due to the sharp decline in social interaction that we all had access to. There have been quite a few studies that demonstrate a connection between a decline in mental acuity and a decline in social interaction.
Mental Health
Socialization has been proven effective in reducing depression, feelings of loneliness (...of course!), and general stress levels. A study done on college freshmen even showed that these improvements were relatively the same for people with low or high self-esteem.
Human connection can happen online, too! We all might be sick of Zoom calls and FaceTime, but when there isn’t time to meet a friend for lunch or a parent for coffee, picking up the phone and calling the humans you want to be connected to works wonders. Plus, it always feels so great to connect (or reconnect) with those we love and care for.
