Why your relationships really matter
There’s a ton of reasons why it’s very hard for us to build and maintain the kinds of relationships that we all deserve and need.
And that matters, in so many ways.
When we’re not socially healthy - when we don’t have the social relationships we need in place - then our physical and mental health doesn’t stand a chance.
We’re more likely to suffer from diabetes, cardiovascular disease and dementia.
We’re less likely to recover from cancer, and more likely to suffer from depression.
We’re also less productive and less collaborative, and more inclined to addiction, excessive consumption and extreme views.
We are simply much (much) less happy.
None of this is hyperbole.
But so is the evidence of who we can be when we do have thriving social connections:
We live lives that are longer and of higher quality.
Our careers are more successful and productive.
We feel like we ‘belong’ - yet we are also more fully ourselves.
We report greater life satisfaction and a higher sense of meaning and purpose.
“It’s no exaggeration to say that you can eat as much as you like, drink as much alcohol as you want, slob about as much as you fancy, fail to do your exercises and live in as polluted an atmosphere as you can find, and you will barely notice the difference. But having no friends or not being involved in community activities will dramatically affect how long you live”
Professor Robin Dunbar, evolutionary psychologist
We can all be socially fit
Fortunately, there is a huge amount we can all do to build and maintain good social health.
At The Social Gym we really want to help you do just that - to build and maintain connections that enable you to thrive - in your personal life, your professional life and your civic life.
Want to know more about what good social health looks like?
This is about you - and me
This isn’t just for people who feel lonely or socially anxious or isolated (though that’s a lot of us). We all have social health to look after, just as we all have mental and physical health. And just like our mental and physical health, our social health requires consistent monitoring and attention as our lives and circumstances change.
This is about us
We need a whole cultural change in our approach to relationships, backed by governmental policy and reflected in our institutions. The Social Gym is campaigning for that - but we’re not going to hang around waiting for it to happen. We’re working from the ground up, doing what we can to support individuals, businesses and communities right now.
