How Social Fitness Can Save Your Life

When it comes to staying healthy, science shows that social connection is as important as diet and exercise…

The Harvard Study of Adult Development has been minutely tracking the lives of some 724 original participants (and some of their descendants) since 1938.  One of its biggest takeaways is that the greatest predictor of health and happiness isn’t a factor like cholesterol levels or blood pressure.  It is the strength of a person’s social ties. 

But social fitness, one of the study’s directors said, is just like physical fitness:  You must work at it.  Harvard-trained social scientist and author Kasey Killam has a framework for doing so, calling it the 5-3-1 rule. 

At a minimum:
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• Spend time with 5 different people each week.  These can even be casual acquaintances like someone from your gym or book club.
• Nurture 3 close relationships.  This means maintaining the close bonds you have with family or good friends.
• Aim for an hour of social interaction each day.  This doesn’t have to be all at once, and can be combined with activities like doing errands. ​

Of course, these research-based guidelines can be flexed, depending on circumstances like age, lifestyle, and physical limitations.  However, the 5-3-1 rule makes for a great baseline.  Offering some helpful tips to get started, Killam suggests putting some friendships on auto-pilot with a weekly or monthly dinner, walk, or other activity.  You can also put a post-it on your bathroom mirror reminding you to reach out to someone.  You can volunteer in your community, or commit to a set number of 10-minute phone calls each week.  These strategies can help you create new habits that, in time, will become self-reinforcing.

Are you getting your 5-3-1 in, and, if not, how can you create a new habit to do so?  To join the conversation, click on "comments" below.

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