Social isolation has long been known as a key reason for worsening mental health, while supportive relationships with friends, family and neighbors are beneficial to the mental health of individuals and the population.
Other forms of social interaction such as volunteering are also known to boost well being.
People with supportive friends and family generally have better mental and physical health than those who lack these networks. The same is true for those who take part in churches, clubs and voluntary organizations.
There are numerous studies showing that within our social and cultural
context we can be positively impacted by social relationships that we are able to invest in and be nurtured by.
Interacting with others boosts feelings of well-being and decreases feelings of depression.
Research has shown that one sure way of improving your mood is to work on building social connections.
Social interactions can be as simple as a store clerk smiling and engaging you for a few minutes. It can be a friend reaching out to you for support and to support you. It can be a group with whom you share things in common, like a book club or Alcoholic’s Anonymous. Gretchen Rubin is the author of “The Happiness Project.” Her research shows that there are three main things that make people happy: close relationships, a job or past-time that they love and helping others.
We as humans tend to do best when we have meaning in our lives and this includes having positive social contacts.et out of the house and engaging something that allows you to move.