Pillar of health: social connection
- jkemppinen
- Jul 30
- 2 min read
This month’s Pillar of Health, according to The American College Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM), is Social Connection. We often think of friends and family when we think of social connections, but rarely do we pair them with our health and how long we live. Thanks to extensive research, we now know that being connected socially is a strong determinant of longevity and mortality.
On the opposite end of social connection is social isolation and loneliness. Research has shown that the feelings of being alone can be just as damaging (read: deadly) as smoking fifteen cigarettes a day and worse than drinking six alcoholic beverages a day. Being lonely can worsen heart health, obesity, dementia, mental health, and inflammation.
We as humans are wired for connection from the womb. Think about it, we are literally wired to our mother with an umbilical cord to receive the nutrients we need to grow in utero. Once born, we cry, which results in our mother’s milk coming in for our continued growth and in turn, provides oxytocin for connection. We are biologically built to connect and need one another to survive.
The research, dating back to Abraham Maslov in the 1940’s, with the concept of “love and belongingness”, shares that being part of something greater moves us ahead. This same concept is modeled in the Self determination theory by psychologists Deci & Ryan, showing that relatedness provides motivation to grow and thrive.
From the womb to adulthood, our bodies need connection to continue to have forward progress.
Studies show that adults who possess unhealthy habits such as physical inactivity, obesity, and smoking, yet have strong social connections live longer than those who have healthy habits but lack social ties.
The decrease in family size and the uptick in more people choosing to live alone is only adding to this epidemic. Social media does not provide the in person connection necessary for our biological health and needs. Perhaps we should be prescribing social connections, rather than medications? There would be marked improvement in both men and women suffering with mental health, diabetes, cancer, obesity, BMI, heart health, etc.
Consider this your prescription to schedule that walk with a friend this week. You may just live a healthier, longer life as a result.
Looking for ways to get connected? Check out this handout via UCLA with some great suggestions.
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