|
Did you know a lack of community and strong social connection can have a disastrous outcome on your health? You might be surprised to learn that an imbalance in these aspects of life can pose just as much health risk as smoking.
We often only focus on eating well and moving our bodies, which are most definitely keys to good health, but they mean nothing if someone feels isolated, disconnected, and lonely.
As we draw closer to my first ever live, immersive event—the
Feel Good Summit—I wanted to share a series of newsletters focused on the eight aspects of my Feel Good Wheel, the first of which is “Community."
These different categories are key to obtaining optimal wellness in body, mind, and spirit. By sharing insights from experts in these fields, I hope to help you create a customized, sustainable plan to reach your whole-body health goals.
We know that friend-power is more powerful than willpower, and that comes in the form of a supportive and aligned community. When surrounded by people that see us, elevate us, and support us, we feel like anything is possible.
Emerging science is beginning to unveil the effects that community, or a lack thereof, can have on health and mortality.
Research has shown social stress, such as rejection and isolation, is a stronger predictor of chronic disease-related mortality than traditional factors like inactivity, smoking, and excessive alcohol use.
Socially isolated people report greater disruptions in sleep and accelerated cognitive decline. And, we’ve seen that across multiple countries and cultures, mortality risk decreases as social integration increases.
We also know that social stress negatively affects the immune system, impacting the body on a cellular level. It’s not just the effect of negative thoughts and emotions, we now know there is a genetic component as well.
Human Social Genomics is an emerging field in which we investigate how different physical and social environments affect the activity of the human genome.
What’s been found, so far, is that social stress is particularly linked to changes in the expression of genes involved in innate immunity and antiviral response.
Social stress is also very strongly linked to the way our bodies manage inflammation, which is a major risk factor for chronic disease. When subjects are exposed to social rejection, such as losing a job or being broken up with, they test for lower levels of
glucocorticoid receptor alpha (which downregulates inflammation). Individuals who ranked themselves as having a high social status showed to have the greatest anti-inflammatory factors when exposed to social stressors.
It’s clear, social isolation and social stress are bad for our health and can greatly affect our ability to avoid and overcome severe health issues. One study of
women with ovarian cancer found that after 7 years 63% of women who were socially well connected were still alive, compared to only 36% of women who were socially isolated. Being part of a strong community goes further than we might realize, especially
when times get tough.
The
Harvard Aging Brain Study found that loneliness might be indicative of risk for Alzheimer’s, as the degree of loneliness reported correlated with a higher degree of amyloid plaque present in the brain, which is a major pathological sign of Alzheimer’s.
Another study found older adults (average age of 71) had a greater decline in their ability to carry out daily activities and mobility and had an increased risk of death when they were lonely. Yet another look at the negative impacts of social isolation,
using a large
systematic review, found an association to both an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke.
Studies have shown that loneliness can be more prevalent in different stages of life, specifically adolescents, young adults, and the elderly.
When it comes to the longer-term health outlooks of these lonely feelings, children dealing with social isolation are found to have worse health as adults, showing an increased risk for cardiovascular disease. It’s important to be aware that though the above
age groups might more commonly experience loneliness, it can happen to anyone.
The quality of relationships a person has plays an important role in the concept of community, as even people who are married or in long-term relationships still report to feeling lonely when they don’t feel truly connected to the people in their circle. In
fact, one study found that
most individuals who reported feeling lonely were actually married, living with others, and not clinically depressed. This lets us know we need to be aware of our friends and family members’ levels of community participation, no matter what their living
situation, age, or personality type.
I always say, if you want to get healthy, surround yourself with healthy people. If your friends are drinking green juice and doing yoga, you’re more likely to do the same.
Are you starting to get it? A sense of community, trusting friendships, and the feeling of belonging are vital concepts in the bigger picture of whole-body health. And in our modern day of technology and digital communication, it can be easy to miss out on
strong human connections. We need to consciously choose to connect with people in a genuine way.
It’s important to reach out to your loved ones, let them know you care, and ask them for help when you need it. But, there is even more you can do to strengthen your ties to community, meet new people, and foster stronger relationships.
Stay tuned for this Thursday’s upcoming newsletter with helpful tips on keeping your community connections strong.
Wishing you health and happiness,
Mark Hyman, MD
|
