The Power of Connection
Posted: May 20, 2022 | By: Rocio Ramos
Human connection is one of the most vital, yet most overlooked, aspects of health. Your happiness and mental health can be directly correlated to your social interactions. This doesn’t necessarily mean you need a big circle of friends or a busy social schedule, it simply means you need healthy human interactions. And over the last decade, technology, social media, and various online apps have replaced human connections which has had a major effect on the mental health of many. Humans need physical connection to each other.
The Power of Human Connections
Research has found that the connections you have with others have a major impact on your quality of life. Healthy human connections can help lower anxiety and depression, lead to higher self-esteem and overall happiness, and even lead to a longer life.
Some health benefits of human connections shared by Mental Health America include:
- One study found a key difference between very happy people and less-happy people was good relationships.
- Loneliness was associated with a higher risk of high blood pressure in a recent study of older people.
- People with strong social and community ties were two to three times less likely to die during a 9-year study.
It’s clear that humans need connections not only for better mental health, but for a long, healthy life.
Ways to connect with others
Like we mentioned, you don’t need a big circle of friends to feel connected to others. You don’t even need to connect with people you know to feel a sense of fulfillment. All you need is to simply connect with someone.
Here are a few ways you can connect with others
- Join a club, gym, or try out a group activity
- Reach out to an old friend you’ve lost touch with
- Volunteer for a cause you care about
- Eat a meal in a public space
- Go for a walk in a park
- Introduce yourself to your neighbors
- Do a random act of kindness
Make sure you’re maintaining human connections to help you live healthier, longer. Always remember that prevention is the key!
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