In the 17th century, a famous poet wrote “no man is an island.” What this poet didn’t know was that hundreds of years later, neuroscientists would prove that man does indeed need to interact with others and not keep to themselves.
There are numerous studies that indicate having social contacts and significant relationships with others is one of the keys for mental sharpness.
This has been proven time and time again as researchers have studied mental health problems. When people have little or no support from family and friends, it can result in chronic depression. If a child does not receive sufficient human interaction, they end up with psychological and physical effects that can last into adulthood.
Not only does social interaction reduce our risk of mental illness, it can improve our memory. Oscar Ybarra, a Michigan University researcher, analyzed phone data from 3,600 people and recorded how long they talked and who they talked with. This data revealed a correlation between mental performance and social interactions.
In primates and other mammals, brain size is directly related to the size of the social groups they take part in. Since human brains are adept to dealing with social problems, the relationship between cognitive performance and social interactions makes sense.
You might disagree with this and think that only people with mentally healthy brains interact socially more often. But, further research gave more credence to the correlation. People were divided into three groups: a “social” group that had group discussions, an “intellectual activities” group that worked to solve puzzles, and a “control” group that viewed a video clip. After participating in these groups, the people were given cognitive performance tests. Those in the “social” group scored the highest on the cognitive tests.
Fruit flies that had a mutation in an enzyme associated with human Alzheimer’s disease were studied. Those who lived with younger, more active flies survived for double the time that those flies that lived alone.
Sadly, people tend to withdraw from social contact as they get older, but this is the time they need social interaction the most. It is easy to withdraw when you retire or when a loved one dies. This doesn’t have to be the case. There are many ways you can increase your social circle. You can volunteer, meet friends for lunch, join a club, or play cards with friends.
No comments