Social Significance

I’ve attempted in this column to cover numerous aspects of physical, chemical, and emotional well-being and how they relate to better health and wellness.  However, a journal article published in Nature Neuroscience reminded me that I’ve neglected the social aspect of health and its role in longevity.

The topic of social health became more significant in 1947 when the World Health Organization included it in its formal definition of health.  Increasing evidence has shown that those who are well integrated into their communities tend to live longer and heal better from disease while those who do not feel as connected are more prone to illness.  Numerous times, it has been proven that married people tend to live longer than individuals who do not marry.  In his book, Healthy at 100, John Robbins, M.D. documents the critical significance of a strong community network in all four of the cultures he studied where people often lived over 100 years with extraordinary health.  This recent research study set out to determine the neurological mechanism that makes these outcomes possible.  The conclusion of the study ties into a subject I’ve discussed numerous times in the past – stress physiology.  The researchers believe that a lack of community or even threats to social connection may tap into the same neural and physiological alarm system that responds to critical survival threats.  Having a strong social network appears to tap into basic reward related mechanisms in the brain.  What they are saying is that a good social support network shuts off the stress response and a poor social structure actually feeds the stress response.  Any perceived stress leads to what I have often called “stress physiology” which should be viewed as the predictable cascade of increased hormones that affect nearly all aspects of our physiology and over time can be linked to virtually every disease known to man.

The lesson to take home from this material is to work on your relationships.  Resist the temptation to go home and tune out.  Instead, spend time building meaningful bonds with your family and friends.  Join a club or group, or get involved in your church.  The more strong and meaningful relationships you maintain will not only make you feel better, but they will actually help you to live longer with less risk of disease and illness.