You’ve heard it before and will probably hear it again: we have been created to be social.
Social ties improve humans’ ability to survive and procreate. In fact, it can be argued that the relatively large size of our brains is mostly due to our need to communicate and cooperate with others.
The importance of human interaction is especially evident in babies, who, even with all of their physical needs met, can die if deprived of human contact. Studies also show that social neglect of children often results in serious problems in cognitive development.
On the other end of the lifespan, there is also increasing evidence to indicate that social support and engagement can reduce symptoms of dementia while helping to maintain cognitive abilities as people age.
Being social engages and exercises a wide variety of mental processes which are self perpetuating, including but not limited to:
Listening for subtle speech cues of intonation and cadence
Reading facial expressions
Making sense of conversations
Manipulating thinking towards the formation of responses
Enabling these processes are very specific neurons called mirror neurons that activate both when we ourselves take action and when we observe others taking action. The ability of mirror neurons to reflect external activity internally has been implicated in learning through observation, developing language skills, and the ability to feel empathy for others.
In terms of reaping the cognitive benefits of being social, research indicates that the size of one’s social entourage isn’t as important as the quality of the relationships in it. It seems that at least part of the benefits of having social support may be due to the stress relief friends and family can provide.
Some suggestions for staying social include:
Host pot-luck/dinner parties
Watch television and use the internet less
Participate in group activities (hiking, dancing, festivals etc.)
Call friends and family periodically
Join a church, club, or dating site
Invite people to see a concert or go to the theatre
Play a team sport
