Why Human Connection Is Important For Wellness
The global health crisis has brought with it a certain irony. The actions that are necessary to ensure public health are at odds with what people need to maintain their mental health. Social isolation, and social distancing have, alongside with the economic dislocations brought on by Covid-19, and fear of the pandemic itself, combined with devastating effect. More and more people report that they are suffering from some form of mental health issue. One study found that 44.4% of people have experienced a decline in their mental health. 75.2% of people feel more socially isolated than ever. Of the people who have managed to hold onto their jobs, 38.2% say that nobody from their company has asked about their mental health. Those who have not been asked about their mental health are 38% more likely to experience a decline in their mental health. From the workplace to the home, human connection is important for wellness.
According to Lisa Berkman, the director of the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies social isolation has a mortality risk akin to other major risk factors such as smoking. People who report having meaningful social relationships have healthier habits, such as eating right, and exercising. This leads to longer and healthier lives. Though we can’t pre-determine the kinds of food and exercise a person should have, we can say with certainty that strong social relationships help people live healthier lifestyles.
According to Berkman, social isolation is stressful and can result in weakened immune systems, which makes people more susceptible to infectious diseases. People who are socially isolated have a 50% greater chance of prematurely dying, compared to those people with strong social social connections.
Business can help build a supportive environment by hiring LPC supervisors to help guide change. Before doing that, they will have to check LPC supervision requirements to get the right LPC supervisor.
In a study of the places in the world where people live longest, Gianni Pes and Michel Poulain identified Sardinia as having the highest concentration of centenarians. One of the reasons cited for the high concentration of centenarians is because of strong social and family ties of people there. People in Sardinia also tend to participate in some form of physical activity well into old age.
Sardinia is one of a few places in the world, known as “Blue Zones”, where there is a high concentration of centenarians. One of the reasons that people live to old age in Blue Zones is because of the social support that people get from their family and friends, which helps them navigate stressful events and maintain healthy habits.
Human connection is closely associated with wellness. People need human connections of different levels of intimacy to build resistance against cardiovascular diseases, stress and disorders. Physical contact itself is therapeutic. From simply holding hjands to sex, physical contact causes the body to release important chemicals such as hormones, which help the body while also providing emotional and mental benefits. Marriage is another source of wellness, according to research, that is, if it’s a healthy marriage. Experience and research are very vocal in showing that social isolation is dangerous to a person’s life. Human connections are important to wellness.
