How important do you think social interactions are? Are they just nice to have or a critical ingredient for a healthy and happy life?
The video below answers that question visually. I urge you to invest six minutes of your life to understand why social interactions are so important for your long term health and happiness.
A few key take aways:
- Social isolation increases premature death by 50%.
- That’s the same effect as smoking 15 cigarettes or having 6 drinks a day.
- Humans evolved to survive in groups so when we’re isolated, we’re convinced that we’re in danger.
- Talking about loneliness means telling someone you’re hurting on a primal level, so we don’t talk about it and it stays invisible.
I first heard about the dangers of loneliness from a fascinating TED talk about What makes a good life? This talk summarizes the results of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, which is the longest study of adult life ever conducted (85 years and counting).
The results were consistent with the video featured above: the single most impactful thing you can do to improve your health, longevity, and happiness is to establish and nurture enduring social connections.