The next year will mark a turning point when people around the world recognize that their health is not only physical and mental, but also social. Social health focuses on relationships; it’s the dimension of your overall health and well-being that comes from connection with family, friends, coworkers, and community.

The focus on social health has accelerated in recent years. In particular, the Covid-19 pandemic has brought attention to our social lives and their decline. According to a Meta-Gallup survey, 24 percent of people the whole world felt lonely. the Covered in the Barometer survey The American Immigration Council also found that 74 percent of Americans do not feel connected to their local community.

That sentiment is consistent with changing habits: today, people spend an average of 24 hours alone and 20 fewer hours with friends each month compared to the past two decades; participation in community groups, membership in local clubs, and membership in faith organizations decreased; and the percentage of one-person households has more than doubled since 1960. Another survey found an alarming decline in the number of close friends among adults: in 1990, only 3 percent of Americans had no close friends who are friends; today that number is higher than 12 percent.

This crisis has prompted initiatives such as the US Surgeon General raising loneliness as a public health priority, and the World Health Organization establishing a global commission focused on human connection.

Most people, however, still underestimate how important relationships are to their longevity. In fact, social health is linked to a 50 percent increase in longevity, making it as important to our lives as avoiding smoking, dealing with obesity, and regular exercise. We urgently need to prioritize and invest in community health. Here’s how.

Make Social Health a Priority

To be physically fit, you feed your body by aiming to walk 10,000 steps a day or sleep eight hours a night, for example. To be mentally healthy, you can meditate every day or go to therapy every week. Being socially healthy requires both purpose and consistency. Try the 5-3-1 Guide: aim to be with five different people per week, maintain at least three close relationships, and spend an hour a day connecting, face-to-face is better. As each of us needs to consume a different number of calories, these numbers may be higher or lower than what you personally thrive on; use it as a starting point to explore what social health looks like for you.

Start Small

Simple actions can make a significant difference for your social health. For example, studies show that people tend to underestimate how much sending a kind message via text or email is appreciated, and even short phone calls a few times a week can be. ‘g measurable reduction in feelings of loneliness. So try to prioritize connection: instead of scrolling through headlines while waiting in line or putting on a podcast while commuting, text a photo to a friend or call a member to the family to chat. Unlike taking care of your physical and mental health, taking care of your social health also directly benefits the people you connect with.

Think Big

On the heels of the growth of the mental health industry, the next frontier of health in our economy will center on social health. Entrepreneurs and investors are zeroing in, with innovations like social fitness gyms, friendship coaches, and AI partners becoming commonplace. But regardless of your profession, you have opportunities to shape a healthier future for society. For example, teachers can teach relationship skills in the classroom; doctors can screen for isolation during teaching; architects can incorporate gathering spaces into their designs; city ​​officials can support local community builders; and employers can create connected workplace cultures.

Stretch Your Social Muscles

Depending on your particular life stage and circumstances—such as recently moving to a new city and needing to build a community in your new home, or working in a remote job and wishing more face-to-face interaction, for example—maybe you need to stretch. your social muscles to expand your social network. But how? Research shows that friendships grow from regular contact and shared experiences: that the more time you spend with someone, the closer you become. One study, for example, tracked the social networks of students for a year and a half as they moved from high school to university, finding that new friendships failed unless they had regular communication and shared activities. Similarly, another study revealed that, for an adult who has just moved to a new city, it takes at least 50 hours for a new acquaintance to become a friend; the more time together, the closer the friendship.

Deepen Existing Relationships

Stretching is all about increasing the amount of connection in your life; Toning is about improving the quality of the connection. Doing so requires curiosity and vulnerability. In a meta-analysis, researchers concluded that people like you more when you trust them—and you like the people you trust more. Choose the right context: disclosing personal information is viewed favorably by people you already know and new acquaintances in one-on-one conversations, but not necessarily by strangers in public settings. Go for depth over breadth: sharing something intimate leads to more likes than sharing too much information. A survey of more than 4,600 people in the US, India, and Japan shows that people across cultures find interactions more meaningful when they go beyond small talk to deliver value through emotional connection, exchange of knowledge, or practical help.