Want to Live Longer, Healthier, and Happier? Then Cultivate Your Social Connections

Social scientist Kasley Killam has always been admired by the science of human connection. For example, once in college decided to conduct a personal experience once and to carry out the act of kindness every day. Harvard’s Chan Public Health School examined solutions for solitude. The Spinoff of Google’s health was undoubtedly to bring people together to bring people together. “I first developed an application around an application in my research in Stanford, here in Stanford’s research,” said Killam. “Since then, all my work passes through the lens of the connection.”

Before the basic speech Wired Health In the end of this month, the Killam explains that social health is a missing factor of human health. This interview was edited for length and clarity.

Wired: Traditionally, human health is divided into a physical and mental component. But you do the work to apply your work to third-column-social health. Why is this?

KASLEY KILLAM: The reason I believe that our relationship is so important to raise and distinguish social health, our relationship has such an impact, but is expected and appreciated. If you look at all the information, it is incredible to the effect and determines us healthOur happinessand our longevity. The connection is not something woven; Affect how much we live. Social health deserves to rise from shadows and tall stall, because it is more important than we understand.

In your book, Connection art and scienceYes, the lack of social relations, increases the risk of various diseases from the shot, dementia. Your parties are likely to die two or three times to die in the next ten, regardless of our relationships mental and physical health. It can be compared to regular smoking and excessive drinking, obese and physically inactive. What is happening to our body when we are lonely, causing such a bad consequences?

One of the leading theories is the idea of ​​buffing stress. If you think about hunger or thirst, these are different desires that our bodies have lost something that we have lost something we need. Loneliness is one of these desires. But when it is chronic, this is a problem. Chronic loneliness, as chronic stress, increases cortisol, inflammation and weakens our immune systems. We need other people to live, so chronic loneliness has been registered as a hazard. In contrast, when you have supporting relationships, you can soothe your body and manage stress easier. The connection is a basic need to understand our body.

You call the current state of our collective social health ambulance to public health. Many agree with you: in 2023 US Surgeon General One recommendation About loneliness and isolation epidemic and who is built Social Feedback Commission. What do you determine what root causes for this crisis?

The connection is a very common crisis. But in fact we are more connected, but also a meaningful way, there are many. We have to solve both. There are many factors that contribute to the status quo and have to call technology and Social media. This is something I worried about in recent years. Technology means to complete the real human connection. But now, many are designed as substitutes or pumpkins. AI is an example. Millions of people use AI as a romantic partner or a friend substitute. This is very worried about me.