Social Connection is Important for Long-term Health
- Isabel Gonzales
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
Written by Camilla Monarrez
Everything in life is about connections; from the way roads are connected to streets, to the way water meets land, how columns and beams hold up a building, and even how animals are grouped into shared classifications. These connections are what bind everything in the world together and make the basis of what helps survival and function in the world. So, if connections are so important for the world, imagine how important they must be for a single person to be aware and benefiting from connections in our world.
We exist within these webs and connections in our world whether we know it or not. This means that we are already connected to the people you see every day by sharing a space with them, from your neighbors, the people at work, to your waiter at the restaurant, and your family. It's important to remember that these connections are as strong as you make them. As time goes by, it's easy to see everyone around you as a side character in your story, to just see people and places and let it pass by because there is no real requirement to foster these connections unless you make a reason for them. After strengthening and fostering connections, it can be surprising how much you needed them, your interactions with people could change your experience as a person.
Jeanne Calment, the French supercentenarian, lived up to the age of 122, the longest verified human lifespan on record. She gave credit to several factors that contributed to her health, such as olive oil, a nightly glass of port, a resilient attitude, and most important, frequent laughter. People can attribute health to many things like exercise, diet, and overall lifestyle, but one factor many people overlook is how the emotional aspect impacts your physical well-being as well. Calment would not have been able to live such a long life without having people to laugh with and others around her to help keep a resilient attitude.
As much as independence is valued in professional and personal life, research is increasingly demonstrating how great health is attributed to social and psychological factors, such as being connected to others. According to the Harvard article on the importance of connections written by Guilia Cambry, researchers agree that social connection can help people live longer and healthier lives. “Being socially disconnected, for example, is associated with higher risk of illnesses, including heart disease, stroke, anxiety, depression, and dementia." Relationships are essential to good health because simply hanging out with friends helps to lower stress hormones such as cortisol, and supportive relationships help to regulate blood pressure and heart health. Talking and laughing with others boosts immune function, and when you are sick or feeling bad, emotional support has proven to help people heal faster.
There is an important distinction that needs to be made between being around people and feeling connected. An example of this is celebrities who have thousands of fans and thousands of followers, people constantly reaching out to say they are big fans and many gifts and support for their career, but the celebrity may not know even the name of a single person and can still feel lonely at the end of the day. In that scenario, it would be easy to convince themselves that they are not alone, but they need people to rely on, whether family or friends. In fact, even in school or in the office, a reading group, or in a gym, you can be surrounded by many people but not have anyone to confide in. It is important to have quality in relationships rather than look for number of relationships.
It is easy to become content with being on your own, but with a lack in those strong connections, you will find that there will be something missing. This does not mean that you have to become a very social person, but the relationships you do have, whether with family, friends, or colleagues, or even people you share spaces with in your routine, make them part of your routine. It is important to know that isolation can bring health risks, such as: depression being linked to loneliness even leading to risk of memory decline as age increases. Isolation can lead to unhealthy habits such as poor sleep and less activity. As we get older, these things fall into our hands more when we retire, with no school or work commitments. It is never too late to foster a connection with anyone you still have contact with or even people that you don't share contact with anymore; you can always reach out. By doing simple things such as checking in on a friend instead of just liking their post, eating meals with others when possible, joining clubs, volunteering, or community groups. Small things like making eye contact and having short conversations with people you see often, you will be surprised that other people may show the same interest as you or even more. You lose nothing by doing these things, and you can gain so much. You will be surprised at the impact these things have on your life. Connection is a daily health habit, not just a personality trait.
Having a connection with yourself is just as important. You need a positive relationship with yourself before having one with anyone else. Journaling and reflecting for long-term health reflect on what you've done, what you did, what you're doing well, and where you can improve. Even the things you feel are negative, look at it in a way of how can you change it in a positive way. Life helps you stay grounded, allows you to look at where you were and where you are now. Connections are what keeps life thriving, without them the world stops. Buildings collapse without structural connections. Ecosystems fail when links are broken. In the same way, humans struggle when socially disconnected. Therefore, connection is not a luxury, it's part of long-term survival. Seek and foster connections, and you will help towards making the world a better, more unified place.
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