I do not expect to see a Surgeon General’s Warning like the one in the title. To what would you apply the label? An ad on social media sites? Posted on the walls of doctor offices or hospital emergency rooms? It is not a harmful product to avoid; it is a healthy activity to engage in. However, a warning about the positive health benefits of a social life may be just what the Surgeon General ordered.
Scientific American recently reported on a study that analyzed the results from 148 other studies that involved over 300,000 participants over many decades. In the article, Social Ties Boost Survival by 50 Percent, author Katherine Harmon concludes that “making friends" may be the most enjoyable and beneficial form of working out. The author points to research that suggests that “interpersonal networks are more crucial to physical health than exercising or beating obesity”. Social support is credited with improving many physiological processes - everything from lowering blood pressure, improving the immune system, speeding up wound healing, to reducing inflammation. And, the greater the number of relationships, the greater the increase in health benefits.
Your online friendships are a step in the right direction. However, the emotional connection that comes from a phone call or a visit reaps far greater rewards. Take a moment to take inventory of your circle of friends – the ones that make you feel like “life is good” every time you talk or visit with them. Also, consider that social isolation is on the increase, three times greater than twenty years ago, and many people do not enjoy a single good friendship. Challenge yourself to expand your social network to include others. When you do that, you will be improving the quality and length of their life, as well as your own.
Live WELL,
Michael
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