Quick answer. Staying in touch with people you know is one of the highest-impact things you can do for your health and happiness. Decades of research, including the Harvard Longitudinal Study of Adult Development, 1 show that close relationships, more than money or status, are what keep people well across their lifetime. apreet, which helps you meet the people you already know while traveling, is built around this idea: it makes it easier to keep those relationships alive, even when life and work scatter the people in them across cities.
Below are five concrete ways social relationships affect your well-being.
1. Social relationships help reduce stress
Strong social connections help you reduce stress and improve your overall well-being. After a stressful day, you might take it easy, relax, work out, or meet a friend and chat. Social ties give us the feeling that we have people we can rely on in times of need. That sense of security and belonging is a buffer against stressors. People we know also provide opportunities for distraction and fun, a break from the daily grind.
2. Social ties can boost happiness
People with strong social ties are generally happier and have a greater sense of well-being. The Harvard Longitudinal Study of Adult Development 1 concludes that close relationships, more than fame, money, or status, keep people happy throughout their lives.
3. Social connections can improve physical health
People with strong social relationships have a lower risk of developing physical health problems, including heart disease and certain cancers. The Harvard study also finds that social ties contribute to both physical and mental health; they are as important to your body as your habits around diet and exercise.
4. Social relationships help improve cognitive function
Staying in touch helps keep your brain sharp and may protect against cognitive decline as you age. Relationships provide a sense of purpose, which is linked to better cognitive function. People with strong social connections also tend to feel more motivated to take care of their physical and mental health.
5. Social connections provide support
In Where Good Ideas Come From, Steven Johnson emphasizes the role of social relations in promoting collaboration and idea exchange: collaboration is the engine of innovation.
2 Relationships allow people to share and build on each other's ideas, leading to more creative and effective solutions. In The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell points out that weak ties, acquaintances rather than close friends, are often the ones that introduce us to new people, ideas, opportunities, and even new jobs. 3 A solid social network is also a source of emotional and practical support during difficult times.
Sources
- Harvard Study of Adult Development: adultdevelopmentstudy.org, the longest-running longitudinal study of adult life, tracking participants since 1938.
- Johnson, S., Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation, Riverhead Books, 2010: on the connected mind and collaboration as the engine of innovation.
- Gladwell, M., The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, Little, Brown, 2000: on weak ties and the social power of a wide set of acquaintances.
- Holt-Lunstad J., Smith T.B., Layton J.B., "Social Relationships and Mortality Risk: A Meta-analytic Review," PLoS Medicine, 2010: doi.org, a meta-analysis of 148 studies (308,849 participants) finding a 50% increased likelihood of survival with stronger social relationships.
- U.S. Surgeon General Advisory, Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation, 2023: frames social connection as a public-health priority.
- World Health Organization, Commission on Social Connection: who.int.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: public-health guidance on social connectedness and the health risks of loneliness and isolation.
- Seppälä, E., and colleagues, "The Connection Prescription," American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 2018: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
