Importance of Being Socially Active

Humans are social beings and social connection is important for both physical and mental health. Being social animals, we tend to function better in all aspects of our lives when we are socially connected and active. Studies have shown that people who live socially isolated lives are at an increased risk of developing depression and having a low quality of life. In fact, wanting to live alone most of the time or avoiding all types of socialization at all costs may be a screaming symptom of depression or other mental issues.

In this write-up, we have discussed the importance of being socially active even when you don’t feel like it. And, we have also furnished a few tips to make your social interactions more fulfilling.

Benefits of Having an Active Social Life

The benefits of having an active social life can be summed up in a simple statement – it is beneficial for physical and mental health. But, you might want us to break the information into smaller chunks so that it ingrains in your mind better. Otherwise, you can simply jump to the next section.

• The feeling of social connection has been registered as one of the most important ways of pulling someone out of depression and addictions.
• Social connections reduce stress and provide more resources for us to deal with problems in our lives.
• Social interactions can be instant mood-booster in many cases.
• Social connections make us more accountable for our work and behavior thus pushing us toward success.
• A study done about older people showed that older people with a lesser social life are more likely to develop dementia.

Tips on Improving Your Social Interactions

You already know how important it is to be socially active. Let us now see how you can improve your social interactions.

1. Accept Invitations

When we are shy, introverted, less-confident, extremely sad, or depressed, we tend to decline any invitation we get for a social gathering. If you have to improve your social life, you should start by accepting invitations. Of course, you can decline an invitation or say ‘no’ if there’s a genuine reason like a conflicting engagement. But, if you want to say ‘no’ just because you feel sad or less confident or for any such reason, just say yes. Just saying yes to an invitation increases your chance of actually attending the event. Once you start getting involved in social gatherings, you will realize that you start enjoying them and may also notice positive changes in your life.

[Note: Choose your social gatherings wisely. Invitation to a birthday or wedding party, book clubs, etc. can’t be compared to an invitation to a rave party with illegal drugs]

2. Go out and Meet Someone When You Feel Like Isolating Yourself

Wanting to lock yourself up alone is not similar to wanting some quiet time alone. If you feel enjoy, there’s nothing bad in spending some alone and peaceful time with yourself. The key is to recognize your feelings. If you want to live alone or isolate yourself while feeling bad, it’s a red flag. A bad mood can become a full-blown depression if we isolate ourselves. So, when you are feeling down and want to shut yourself out, just open those doors and socialize with friends and family.

3. Get Involved in Small Talks

Socializing does not only mean a big get-together or party with many people. A small conversation with someone, just like asking them how they are doing, is also a kind of socialization. In fact, one-to-one talk with someone is more fulfilling and rewarding. Make a habit of getting involved in small talk. You can start by greeting a colleague or even a random stranger you meet in a park during your jogging sessions.

4. Try Extending a Helping Hand

Most of us remember our social connections when we need help. But, you can develop a more fulfilling social bond by helping others. Some neurological studies have shown that our brain releases more happy hormones when we help someone rather than when we receive help. We build more strong bonds with people whom we could help. So, a good way to build a social circle and feel happier about it is to try helping anyone you can. The help can be very small or very big. You can also do some volunteering work to make helping a habit.

5. Travel More Often

Traveling has many benefits and we all know them. But, we generally don’t connect it with socialization because when we talk about socialization we think we have to meet known people more often. But, meeting new people has its own benefits. Traveling is one of the best ways of meeting new people and socializing in a fun way. It gives us so many opportunities to learn different things.

Conclusion

Socializing is very important for keeping us healthy and happy. Sadly, many people limit their social interaction to Social Media. But, many studies have shown the toxic impact of Social Media influence on people’s lives. We don’t recommend banning yourself from Social Media Channels but you should not see them as ‘socialization’. When we say you need to socialize, we mean you need to meet and talk to real people and make bonds on a personal level.