50 Benefits Of Maintaining Social Connections
- Oxytocin Boosts
This feelgood hormone is released when we experience physical touch with the people we care about, that may be why it’s referred to as the cuddle chemical. It’s something that is triggered even when we spend time with our pets.
While it may be best known for its appearance after intercourse, you will find that there is an abundance of it in your body when you’re just spending time with friends and family that you enjoy being around. It doesn’t just improve your mood, though, it also relieves aches and pains, boosts energy levels, reduces stress and it provides your immune system with a healthy bump (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22775448).
Perhaps a more important note to make is that while oxytocin has a positive effect on your overall health, loneliness can increase your blood pressure.
- Strong Brain Health
This includes common sense, knowledge, and alertness. It’s something that we generally cultivate with culture, books, music, and formal education. However, you can also learn from the people that you surround yourself with. You may have your own curiosity driving you to learn more, but certainly, we are also prompted by the connections that we make.
We spend time communicating with others, learning from them, opening up and seeking out new information. Whether it’s due to brainstorming or a genuine curiosity to learn more about a subject a friend has brought up. This all feeds our capacity to expand our minds.
- Enjoy Emotional Health
Studies indicate that people are less likely to suffer from depression when they maintain strong social connections (http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0062396). Of course, one of the main aspects of maintaining connections is that we are able to healthily manage our emotions. Building friendships and romantic relationships helps us develop our social skills, yes, but beyond that it allows us to experience reading social cues, practicing empathy, and being an overall better person. These are all important skills when dealing with others.
- Improve Your Spiritual Health
While not everyone is spiritual and those who are practice it in different ways, maintaining friendships is good for your spirit. Let’s be honest… people are the worst (and the best, in a complicated twist in nature) and as great as we can be, we also tend to hurt others, we are annoyed, and we are all imperfect.
We are guilty of letting people down, we make assumptions, set unrealistic expectations, and often demand more than we should. It’s fair to say that we have all fallen into traps like this during our life, but those people who are able to build successful connections are more likely to be generous, accepting, patient, and forgiving. These are important aspects of any relationship, moreover, by communicating your gratitude you are improving your brain’s ability to change based on experiences (https://blogs.psychcentral.com/mindfulness/2009/11/neuroplasticity-gratitude-and-your-mental-health-food-for-thought/). This is a benefit that you can gain from enjoying your friendships, but also from practicing mindfulness.
- Boost Your Social Health
When you spend a lot of time with close friends what you realize is that you can provide others with support without trying to fix their problems. You can show warmth and empathy without trampling their privacy, and you can even deal with conflict without damaging connections with others.
Boundaries are important and the more you practice socially the stronger your relationships become. It doesn’t just benefit your own social health, but it also means that every interaction you have, whether at home, in the community or at work, is more meaningful.
You know what you should and shouldn’t do to stay healthy, at least you think you do… a lot of information we’re given is conflicting. However, something that we hear consistently is that building healthy social connections is vital to your overall health and wellness.
- Leave Loneliness Behind
We cannot underestimate how much damage loneliness does to our health. In America, there are a lot of adults over 65 who are living alone (http://www.prb.org/Publications/Media-Guides/2016/aging-unitedstates-fact-sheet.aspx) and dealing with the loss of a spouse is stressful. Many older people struggle to make friendships and it can be challenging for them to reach out to people once they find themselves in that position.
While casual friendships are nice, they are not sufficient to help stave off depression and relieve stress. We need the close bonds of friendship to provide us with emotional support. This is why it’s vital that we continue making friendships at each stage of our lives.
- Enjoy A Longer Life
Yes, human connections improve your health, but they also provide your longevity with a boost. As we get older we need the support of our family and friends more than ever before. That can be a challenging thing to find as many of our friends have passed on. However, by engaging in community activities, attending classes, and making time for friends you can enjoy the benefits of a longer and healthier life.
- No Worries About Isolation
Elderly people who are isolated are more likely to suffer from ill health. Joining a social group with common interests is a great way to avoid isolation and loneliness.
- Reduced Risk of Dementia
It isn’t just about stimulating your brain, friendships also encourage healthier behaviors, including taking the proper medications at the right time and eating well. Which means you can prevent dementia by living an active social life as you get older. While family is important, it’s also imperative that we don’t forget about our peers.
- Healthier Immune System
It’s natural for our immune system to be affected by the natural process of aging. Loneliness leads to depression and stress which takes a toll on your immune system – while building connections does the opposite, instead fueling a healthier immune system.
- Stay Active
When you have people to spend time with you are more likely to get out there and enjoy yourself. While pets are a great way for seniors to stay fit, so are human friends. Whether you’re out power walking, bowling, golfing or just meet up regularly to laugh your way through lunch.
- Be Happier
Provided your friendships and relationships are healthy, you can enjoy a happier life because of them. Of course, you may find you experience more illness if you surround yourself with strained relationships. You will be far happier when your connections are supportive. This should come as no surprise, we tend to keep the people around that bring us joy and allow the other relationships to fade away.
- Sharper Brain
The good news is that you don’t need to focus on quantity so much as quality. You should focus on building a handful of strong, close ties so that you can reach out to people as needed. It’s important that you have more than one person with whom you can share everything and anything. People who are struggling with loneliness and isolation are at risk of dementia and other cognitive issues later in life. Maintaining social ties keeps you sharp, pushes you to think, and make smarter, healthier decisions.
- Everything Changes
Friendships change over the years and understanding that can help you keep your friendships strong. As you get older you’re more tolerant of quirks, but it’s a two-way street. You should be equally invested in your relationships – you shouldn’t lean on one person too heavily. Additionally, you may find that you outgrow your friends and that’s okay because we all change as we get older. Our interests change, and we move on – this is why it’s vital to make friends regularly.
- Gaining Life Skills
In addition to sharpening your brain health and giving your happiness a boost, your friends help you know yourself. They inspire you to do better, whether it be as a person, in your career or in relationships.
- The Learning Process
Our early friendships help shape us in ways that we cannot imagine, and they help kickstart the learning process. That doesn’t stop as you get older, you can always learn from others.
- Shaping Romance
Yes, not only do your friendships benefit you they can also benefit your romantic life. Whether it’s introducing you to a new partner or providing you with a sounding board to talk through your troubles. Your friendships can help shape healthy romances.
- Cardiovascular Health
One study (Uchino, Cacioppo, & Kiecolt-Glaser, 1996) cites that cardiovascular system would function much better in adults who enjoyed a positive social circle of support.
- Support Your Needs
Even in the most trying times, your closest friends will be there, standing beside you. As you age, various hazards come along perhaps a medical condition diagnoses, or the death of a spouse, and that is the time when you need that support from friends and family the most.
- Lose The Pain
We’ve mentioned loneliness a few times, but we haven’t focused on the pain of it all. Being alone hurts – especially if you’re on your own for stretches of time. It’s so important to build friends to avoid ever feeling this way.
- Positive Thinking
There’s something to be said for finding friends online, but nothing can compare to the friendships you build with people you can connect with in person. Both, though, can help shape your thinking. For people who are stuck indoors and aren’t mobile enough to get out and about then online friends can make a real difference. However, if they’re negative and miserable that may just rub off on you – just as it would with your in-person friendships. So, whether you make friends online or offline – make sure they are positive thinkers.
- Prevent Dementia
Psychology Today reports that social connections and strong healthy relationships help reduce risks of dementia. There is accumulating evidence that socializing is good for the brain, as people with quality relationships and social circles perform better on memory tests as well as other various cognitive skills.
23. Group Friends
While we noted that close friendships can improve your romances, it’s important to note that having couple friends can also. It’s common for couples to withdraw from their own friendships as they spend more time building their lives. They throw themselves into parenthood, raising children while balancing work, and it’s difficult to make time for friends. It’s vital that you maintain those old friendships, but you can make new ones, too. Choose friends that you can both spend time with who are similar stages in their lives. It will provide you with stress relief to be able to benefit from friendship while going through big steps together.
- Time For A Reality Check
No one can bring you back down to earth like your closest friends can. They know you better than anyone else and can provide you with much-needed reality checks at every step of your life. Who will protect you like they will? They are the ones who stand up and tell you when you’re indulging in unhealthy behaviors, pursuing the wrong relationships, and can help keep you on the right path when you start to stray.
- Effecting Social Change
What better way to get involved in your community than with your friends? They are often a driving force behind us when we see wrongs that we want to right. Volunteering provides you with a vital boost to your health and you’re more likely to do so when you have a friend ready to stand beside you every step of the way.
- Share Joy
Sharing your joy is just as important as having someone to provide you with comfort. Nothing feels better than sharing good news with your closest friends – and those friends are the ones who are there for you in the hard times, too.
- Coping
Heart patients recover better when they’re in a healthy marriage, while cancer patients are more likely to bounce back when they have friends rallying around them in support. That’s why there are so many support groups available – they help you beat your illness and go on to live a long and healthy life. It’s all about improving your quality of life and friendship does that.
- Rejection
Not every relationship (social or romantic) will end well or operate smoothly. Your friends can help you cope with those rejections and get you through the stress of what is going on. Stress has its own effect on both physical and mental health, and friends can help you through those times.
- Happiness Is Contagious
Happiness rubs off – great friendships bring you happiness and that feeling spreads to everyone around you.
- Happiness Makes You More Social
You are more likely to be social when you are at your happiest, and so when you make time for your friends you’re doing yourself two services.
- Live Longer
The Harvard Women’s Health Watch reported, “dozens of studies have shown that people who have satisfying relationships with family, friends and their community are happier, have fewer health problems, and live longer.
- Optimism
We know how important positive thinking is – optimism helps fight depression and increases your life satisfaction. You’re more likely to be optimistic when you have strong social connections – friends have a way of helping us see mountains for what they truly are, simple molehills to step over.
- Heart Protection
There’s nothing better for heart health than solid friendships. A lack of friendships increases your risk of heart attacks and a lack of social support leaves patients at risk of dying sooner (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3150158/). One of the reasons this is thought to be the case is because of stress, with your close ties reducing your stress levels.
Additionally, there is believed to be a link between inflammation and socialization. Our friends help us make healthier decisions and react more appropriately in times of stress. Of course, our friends are also likely to urge us to give up bad habits and support us in our bid to do so.
- Self-Awareness
There is nothing like your friends to help you realize who you are. We are often drawn to people who are similar to us and that can be a really great way to get to know who you are. Friends help each other understand values, goals, and help you achieve what you want in life.
- Enjoy Your Health
You can do so for much longer, thanks to your social network.
- Success
Yes, your friends help fuel you to success in every aspect of your life and at any age.”
- Relief From Grief
It’s difficult to lose someone, whether you are in your elder years and you have lost your spouse or it’s a close friend or relative who has died. Having the support of your good friends in these times is crucial to the grieving process. They help you get through the hardest periods of your life.
- Fitness Goals
Have you ever gone on a diet and committed yourself to losing weight, eating right, and exercising? It’s challenging because we fall into bad habits and they are much harder to break than we realize. You may have also noticed that it gets easier when you do it with a friend – they provide you with support when you hit a rough patch and they motivate you to succeed.
When it comes to quality of life in aging, it is critical to consider your social network, in not only bringing the one you already have, but in making a conscious effort to continue to build on it with peers in your community as you grow older.
- Improves Stress Management
Stress kills, and so managing it is crucial, especially as you get older. So, you already know that spending time with friends relieves stress. Your friendships also make you more adept at managing your stress levels – sometimes you just need your friends to sit down to talk things through and provide you with a bit of perspective.
- Increases Self-Confidence
It isn’t the same as self-confidence – people with a high self-esteem can still suffer from confidence issues. The more you socialize the more your confidence grows in every aspect of life.
Strong relationships give you a sense of belonging, being a part of something improves aging on all levels, emotional, physical and mental. It’s what humans crave – a group of their own, feeling as though they are a part of something. Friendships provide you with a sense of belonging. We all need a community to call our own.
- Teamwork
Friendship can benefit your career when you learn how to give and take – somehow, it makes the teamwork much easier to navigate when you have nurtured your social skills adequately. It’s good for the spirit.
It’s easier to take life’s hits and come back fighting when you have people who love you on your side.
- Beat Depression & Anxiety
One of depression’s major contributing factors is isolation, which is a risk for the older generation. So, an active social life is a great way to avoid loneliness and provides a helpful boost to your immune system, too.
Mental health problems can happen to anyone and it’s common to withdraw from friends when we’re going through these issues. However, close friends have a way of being there for you even in your darkest times and they can help you get through the dark tunnel you’ve been walking through. They’re the light at the end of the tunnel.
- Pleasure
Happiness and pleasure aren’t really the same but spending time with friends engaging in activities that you love is sure to bring you true pleasure and enjoyment, which can only be good for your happiness levels and quality of life.
- Your True Self
It can be exhausting wearing different faces as you go through life but being with true friends allows you to be your true self and embrace who you really are.
- Good Company
Sometimes the only thing you need is someone to sit with and understand that you’re not ready to speak or get into what is going on in your life. You just need to be with someone in peace, and good friends are adept at reading your social cues and knowing when their presence is everything you need.
- Quality of Life
Life is just better with friends. When it comes to quality of life in aging, it is critical to consider your social network, in not only bringing the one you already have, but in making a conscious effort to continue to build on it with peers in your community as you grow older. Having an active social life, and close relationships improves life quality exponentially.
49. Purpose
What is the point of leading life if you’re not living with purpose? How can you live a life of purpose if you don’t surround yourself with people who know and love you just as you do them?
50. Age Better
An 80-year Harvard study, The Harvard Study of Adult Development finds healthy and fulfilling relationships to be a key factor in aging better.
Take it from George Vaillant of the Harvard Study, “When the study began, nobody cared about empathy or attachment. But the key to healthy aging is relationships, relationships, relationships.
Final Thoughts
It doesn’t matter how old you are and how many friends you have right now – it’s never too late to meet new people and start building your social network. You can meet new friends by volunteering in your community or joining activities, clubs, and classes that interest you.
This becomes even more important when you retire as many of your friendships were rooted in your working life and that leaves a void that you need to fill. Now is the time to nurture your existing relationships, too, whether they be familial, romantic or platonic.
You will be happier when you work on your relationships, we all go through ups and downs, but don’t walk away just when life gets tough. If your relationships have gone stale or you’ve lost touch with someone you enjoyed being around – then take steps to make a change. Socializing shouldn’t be seen as a chore, it’s truly an act of self-care.
Disclaimer: This publication is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Medical advice should always be obtained from a qualified medical professional for any health conditions or symptoms associated with them. Every possible effort has been made in preparing and researching this material. We make no warranties with respect to the accuracy, applicability of its contents or any omissions.
Introduction
While once upon a time, the focus was on living a long life or a healthy life, we are now more focused on the idea of living a healthy life to enjoy our twilight years properly. Typically, when we think of what we need to do to maintain our health we look out our diet, we consider how much we exercise, and maybe think about our sleeping habits.
Those are all wonderful places to start, and they are absolutely important to your overall health at every stage of your life. There is one thing, though, that we don’t pay enough attention to and that is our human connections.
Building strong relationships with family and friends is important at every age, but it’s increasingly important as we get older. It can help us age healthily and even extend our lifespan.
Research Shows That Relationships Matter
Harvard has been running an ongoing research study that involves thousands of men. It started eight decades ago and some of the original participants are still taking part, now well into their 90s (Harvard Study Of Adult Development).
The participants went through blood samples and brain scans, answering questions about their home lives as well as their working life, emotional wellness, and mental health. The researchers then branched out to speak to the children and spouses of these men taking part.
The results haven’t been swayed by the men’s childhoods or what tribulations and triumphs they have gone through. What has helped them maintain their happiness and influenced their health has all boiled down to just one thing – their relationships or more specifically the happiness that comes from them.
In the years of the study, researchers have found that people who build strong social connections will live a life that is longer, healthier, and happier when compared to those who fail to retain ties to friends and family. That doesn’t mean any relationship will do, though.
Staying in stressful marriages with a lot of conflict is naturally bad for anyone’s health. However, Harvard’s researchers discovered that people in satisfying relationships when they’re 50 are the happiest and healthiest when they reach the age of 80. Even during days of extreme physical pain, their mood was able to stay up.
George Vaillant, Psychiatrist and one of the researchers in the Harvard Study says, “When the study began, nobody cared about empathy or attachment. But the key to healthy aging is relationships, relationships, relationships.”
There’s another important aspect of solid relationships that we must touch on – cognitive function. It’s natural for older people to experience a decline in their memory, yet in this study, those in happy relationships and with strong social connections are able to maintain their memory for longer.