How Does Social Connectedness Influence Health?
Over the past four decades, a significant body of literature has demonstrated that there is a significant link between social connectedness – our relationships with others – and our health and well-being. While this feels and sounds intuitive, you may have wondered specifically how our friendships impact our health outcomes. and affect the way we live. What is the mechanism of action responsible?
Research in the social sciences and healthcare suggests that there are three primary ways that social connectedness influences our health.
- First, relationships impact our health behaviors and connect us to resources and opportunities.
- Second, connections support us psychosocially, providing stress relief and support.
- Third, our friendships directly affect us by boosting cardiovascular and immune system function.
Tools like PARTNERme allow providers to measure and visualize their patient support networks, so they can help in all three areas by strengthening their support base. This makes it a potential game changer in the field of healthcare.
Check out our full infographic below to see more examples of how social connectedness influences our health and well-being.
Want to learn more about social connectedness and its impact on health and well-being? Visit our Network Leadership Resource Library to see blogs, webinars, and other infographics on this very important network leadership topic. You can also share a comment below with the VNL community to add your thoughts on the subject. We hope you found our infographic helpful and informative!
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