21-Days of Social Connection For Health, Happiness, & Longevity

By Teresa Starr

August 23, 2019

happiness, health, loneliness, longevity, relationships, social integration

Every day is a good day for building and strengthening relationships, and not just because it feels good but also because it is essential to good health. Can improving your social abilities really make you healthier and happier? Absolutely! Recent research backs it up! That’s why we’ve provided this free 21-Day Social Connections Calendar, to help you improve relationships and social integration and lead to more whole-hearted living.

Studies show that two of the top contributors to wellbeing and longevity are having meaningful  relationships and social integration in your life. These ranked even higher than exercise, nutrition, and being at a healthy weight. In addition to overall wellness and living a longer life, studies also show that high quality connections with family members, co-workers, neighbors, strangers, friends and even yourself, are shown to increase positivity, improve mental and physical health, and inspire greater levels of happiness.

Likewise, research also indicates that loneliness is detrimental to health and wellbeing. One study showed loneliness to be as harmful as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day and more harmful than obesity.

Dr. Robert Waldinger, the 4th director of an 80-year Harvard Study stated, “Loneliness turns out to be toxic. People who are more isolated than they want to be from others, find that they are less happy, their health declines earlier in mid-life. Their brain functioning declines sooner and they live shorter lives than people who are not lonely. The Chronic stress of being lonely gets into the body and breaks it down.”

In 2018 CIGNA did a study that showed that 40% of Americans said they feel isolated from others and that their relationships aren’t meaningful. Some researchers are even calling it a “loneliness epidemic.” What can you do about it? Reach out and build quality connections!!!

Don’t worry, it’s easier than you may think…Social integration simply means that you make an intentional effort to connect with others on a regular basis. It means taking baby steps toward becoming more social, reaching out to others, and developing skills for more effective communications and more meaningful relationships. When it comes to social connections, the small stuff is really the big stuff.

The great news is that as you work to build your relationships and your social integration skills, you are also improving your health and longevity (and the health and longevity of others) in very big ways! According to the 80-year Harvard Study, people who are more socially connected to family, friends and community, experience, greater levels of happiness, and improved mental and physically wellbeing. They also have increased immune function and they actually live longer than people who are less well connected. That’s because, as Dr. Waldinger states, “Healthy Relationships literally Enliven and Heal!”

If you need help getting started, take a look at our FREE 21-Day Quality Connections Calendar. All you have to do is download it and follow it every day for 21 days. As you do, you’ll notice that you’re building your ability to connect with others and to strengthen relationships in simple daily acts. Not only that, your outlook on life and your positivity are bound to improve. Just imagine if everyone, everywhere, made greater efforts to reach out to others and build better connections. This world would become a much happier and healthier place. So why not let that transformation begin with you and your family and friends? Join our 21-Day Quality Connections Challenge and do your part to make the world a better place.

Social Integration – Quality Connections 21-Day Challenge 

Teresa Starr

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