The Importance of Being Social

"Strange is our situation here on earth. Each of us comes for a short visit, not knowing why, yet sometimes seeming to a divine purpose. From the standpoint of daily life, however, there is one thing we do know: that we are here for the sake of others." - Albert Einstein

Human beings are social creatures, we all know this. People are meant to be around other people. As an introvert myself I love my alone time (ok - need it), but being around other people, especially those we care about, opens our minds in ways that we can't do alone. We get new points of view, different ideas, and connections to achieve more than one could ever possibly do solo. We accomplish things as a society that no other species or creature on earth has, because humans have the unique ability to work together and form networks. We've achieved amazing feats of mental and physical strength because of this. Some scientists theorize that the need for social interaction was the driving force of the evolution of humans superior intelligence.

Being social is actually good for our health as well. According to "Subliminal" by Leonard Mlodinow "social relationships are so important to humans that a lack of social connection constitutes a major risk for health, rivaling even the effects of cigarette smoking, high blood pressure, obesity..." In one of the most in depth studies on sociology researchers tracked about 5,000 people, giving them each a "social network index" number according to how many social ties they had and interacted with regularly. Those who placed on the low end of the spectrum were over twice as likely to die within the nine years of the study than those who placed higher. That was some pretty shocking information, but it makes a lot of sense. The emotional support we get from those we care about has a huge impact on our moods, and our lives in general.

Social pain is actually processed through the same parts of the brain as physical pain. That connection also explains why social pain can affect our bodies physiological processes. Not only can social ties help ease things such as stress and other problems, apparently a lack of them can cause problems to manifest. Food for thought.

We are definitely all different, there are people who need other people much more than others, and some who truly get enjoyment out of being alone, and prefer it. Research shows that effects (positive and negative) vary based on the individual. Either way, it couldn't hurt to remember just how important our friends and loved ones are to us.

I know this is a lot more clinical than my usual posts, but the subject came up while reading "Subliminal" - an amazing book about how our unconscious mind works - and piqued my interest to do a little more research. The human mind, and all it's intricate connections, really is an amazing thing.