If Social Connection is So Important, How Do You Know When it’s Good Enough?
People are good for you, according to a beverage company sing-along scene in a recent commercial. Health experts are saying the same, albeit minus the drink. Science backs them up. A lack of social connectivity has similar health effects as smoking 15 cigarettes a day and is worse than obesity and a sedentary lifestyle impacting how long you will live.
It’s easy to measure how many cigarettes are smoked or to calculate a BMI. But social connectivity? How do you know if you’re connected enough?
I don’t smoke and I am not overweight, but as an intense introvert, is my level of social connectivity impacting my health as if I were smoking or not maintaining a healthy weight?
Social connectivity can help prevent serious illness, improve stress and mental health, promote healthy eating and activity levels, and help you sleep better. It’s a health topic for all, not just those experiencing loneliness, the opposite of social connectivity.How much thought do people give to their level of social connectivity?
There is no one standard definition and while there are dozens of tools, they are mostly used by researchers to measure loneliness. In the absence of a quick number like a weight or blood pressure reading, here are three ways to think about your level of social connectedness.
Who’s there for you?
When I enrolled my first child in childcare years ago I needed to list two emergency contacts living in the vicinity. I left the section blank. “Don’t you have anyone? A neighbor? A relative? A friend who could come get him if we couldn’t reach you?”, the teacher asked. We were somewhat new to the area and had found it difficult to break into established social circles. I could think of no one besides a relative who lived over an hour away.
Social networks are an essential component of your social connectivity. Your social network consists of the people and interactions you have and the
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