How much time do you spend with your family and friends? In today’s growing tech-based society we invest less time together than ever before, but making the effort to do so can have incredible benefits.

Facebook or Face Time?

While keeping in touch online is a great way to stay in contact with people and share our experiences, it is no substitute for real face-time.

According to UCLA professor, Matthew Lieberman, our need for social connection is as real as our need for food and water.

Whether we like it or not, our brains are wired to connect socially, and not spending enough time together can have serious implications on our physical health and our emotional wellbeing.

In fact, the human brain’s entire physiology has been shaped by our unique ability to socialise. Any time that your brain is not using it’s analytical, problem solving, abilities (the part of our brain responsible for physical survival) it’s default setting goes back to social mode. That is because evolution took a bet and decided that the best way for us to evolve and survive is by working together.

Socialising and Your Emotional Health

Adults and children need to socialise.

We need to talk to each other, connect with each other and even have physical contact with each other. Giving your friend a gentle slap on the back, a hand shake, or a hug, can do you both a world of good.

Studies have proven that a meeting that starts with a handshake is more likely to end in a new agreement or connection than one without physical contact.

People who spend meaningful time together are happier and more fulfilled than those who don’t. Even if you are a high achiever, you will live a happier life if you have strong social ties than if you focus only on your work.

The reason for that is because there is more than one kind of wealth. The emotional wealth that comes from togetherness is as valuable as the money in your bank account.

One scientist even went so far as to compare social pain and social happiness with monetary value! 
       

The Social Brain Remembers

On a cognitive level, it has also been found that students are more likely to retain information that they are exposed to in a social setting. Because their brains are wired to retain survival information, and the human brain has decided that social connection is essential for our survival.

Socialising and your Physical Health

Did you know that having regular social interactions is good for your physical health and can have noticeable effects on your longevity?

Sick people who regularly receive physical contact such as a hand placed on the arm or back, a hug or an arm around the shoulders, tend to heal faster.

A case study was done on women with breast cancer, which found that those who faced the disease with regular social contact with friends and family recovered more frequently and more quickly than those who were socially isolated.

Making Things Better by Being Together

Our need to socialise is more real and more important than ever before.

Spending time with others in real world situations may not seem like an investment because all it costs is time, but the investment you are making in your health and happiness is more than worth it.

Couple that with the goodness of being out of doors in natural light and fresh air, and you have a winning recipe for good health and a good life.