Social connectedness

Lack of social connectedness is generally under-rated, in my opinion, as a factor in the anxiety and depression that abounds despite the general material and economic prosperity of the industrialized world. So many distractions take us away from the face-to-face and eye-to-eye contact with our families and friends. Eyes on the television, movie, or videogame, ears on the radio or music emanating from the CD player, our full attention is not on the person who is with us. Many of us spend more time giving that full attention to those in the workplace. But even that attention is starting to fragment with the advent of wireless laptop computers, cell phones, person digital assistants, and other devices that are supposed to make us more connected to our world. But it is not only the quality of time that we spend with family and friends that has declined, it is also the quantity.

Enhancing social connectedness holds the prospect of improving anxiety and depression. Those who are members of organizations and attend religious services regularly are likely to be healthier physically and mentally. Social connectedness has been invoked in the vast array of support groups that have arisen to address anxiety, depression, addiction, obesity and other problems. Social connectedness is also part of a relationship between a patient and therapist. But it seems that the groups and therapies are aimed at treating the end result, not the underlying problem. In some cases, it is like treating the heart attack rather than what caused it. The heart attack can be treated in an intensive care setting and perhaps even treated with bypass surgery, if necessary. But we know that it’s better to treat the high cholesterol and high blood pressure with medications that might prevent the heart attack in the first place. We also know that it is better still to treat the high cholesterol with dietary changes and exercise first, except in those with inherited forms of high cholesterol. Both high cholesterol and high blood pressure have the potential for being improved by lifestyle changes. For anxiety and depression, social connectedness could have a role early on before a person moves on to support groups and therapists. As the hero of the movie Crocodile Dundee remarked when he was told that someone was seeing a therapist to discuss his problems, “Doesn’t he have mates?” or words to that effect. This is not meant to imply that social connectedness is a panacea, or that its only role is in prevention, or to detract from the value of good therapists and support groups.

See the following postings for more on anxiety and depression.

See the following postings for more on how social connectedness relates to work, disability, and drinking problems.