Page 40 - Robeson Living Spring 2022

The Benefits of Social Interaction

By Dr. Ryan Beck

As a child, your parents took you on play dates and encouraged to correlate low levels of social interaction to some of the more
you to make friends at the sandbox/park. As teenagers, your common risks to your wellbeing.
life was filled with extracurricular activities and parties. As
an adult, you spent your days’ talking to coworkers around the -Increased risk for depression, anxiety, and substance abuse
water cooler and possibly planning those same play dates for -As harmful as never exercising
your own children. But then what? -Twice as dangerous as being obese
Meanwhile high levels of social interaction have been linked to
In most cases, as age increases, the amount of daily social inter- plenty of specific health benefits:
action drastically decreases. Some may argue that this is a time -Decreased risk of cardiovascular problems, osteoporosis, and
to rest and enjoy time alone. However, new research shows some types of cancers
that friends may be the key to good health. -Decreased risk for Alzheimer’s disease
-Lowered blood pressure
According to a recent study, social isolation was shown to have
a serious negative impact on your quality of health and is even Who knew that being a social butterfly was so important for
able to negatively affect lifespan. your health? Want to know where you stand? Take a few sec-
onds and answer these questions that are very similar to the
The study concluded that those with adequate or high social re- ones used in the study mentioned above.
lations with family, friends, and or coworkers have a 50 percent
lower risk of dying over a given period of time than those with -Do you have people you can count on in times of need?
fewer social interactions. -Do you feel lonely?
-Do you live alone?
In addition to a higher mortality rate, researchers were also able -When’s the last time you had a good long conversation with

Page 40 Robeson Living ~ Spring 2022