An invisible threat is threatening our communities around the world, causing more deaths, lowering the quality of life, and compromising our shared cultural fabric. A person who lacks sufficient social contact, feels unsupported in their current relationships, or has strained or negative relationships is a growing threat to their well-being and well-being. Loneliness and social isolation are two other social disconnections that are present.
Worldwide, nearly one in six people express loneliness today. The rate is even higher among young people, teenagers, and those who reside in low-income nations. However, social isolation and loneliness can be fatal as well. They are more than just emotional states. Loneliness was linked to more than 871, 000 deaths annually between 2014 and 2019, according to a recent World Health Organization (WHO) report, or 100 deaths per hour. We now have unquestionable proof that our ability to form and maintain lasting human connections is just as important for our well-being as our physical and mental health. Health systems and policymakers have ignored it for too long, respectively.
The World Health Assembly adopted the first social connection resolution in a month with the release of the report from WHO’s Commission on Social Connection. This enormous threat to global health is at a turning point, and the report emphasizes the need for decisive leadership and action. In line with the commission’s recommendations, the report provides concrete steps forward and provide concrete steps to strengthen bonds that support individual and social progress.
Humans have a strong connection mechanism. Relationships have a profound impact on our brains, our feelings, and our ability to live well. Conversely, disconnection can lead to devastating consequences, including heart disease, stroke, depression, anxiety, dementia, and premature death. It can also lead to subpar academic performance in schools and workplaces, which costs societies billions annually.
The good news is that there are solutions. From national policies and community programs to campaigns and individual support strategies, the commission’s report lists effective interventions. It identifies a number of successful examples, including peer-to-peer support for low-income older people in South Africa, “social prescribing” activities like music, storytelling, gardening, and self-help groups, incorporating social connection into broader development policies in Albania and Spain, establishing dedicated national strategies in nations like Denmark, Germany, Japan, Finland, the Netherlands, and Sweden, and campaigns to encourage small acts of kindness in Australia, Great Britain, and the United States.
We urge all nations to give social connection a prioritization.
Not just about personal well-being and health. It serves as the foundation of social cohesion, national resilience, and economic prosperity. Societies that foster trust and connection are more creative, more secure, and able to handle crises more effectively. This fact was only ever greatly improved by the COVID-19 pandemic. The human need for connection became unmistakable as physical separation was forced by lockdowns, as did the expense of its absence.
A five-pillar global roadmap, which the WHO commission recommends, is built on the foundation of research, interventions, measurement, and engagement.
The main recommendations are to develop national policies that incorporate social connections into the labor, health, and education agendas, fund research to improve the effectiveness of interventions that are culturally relevant, collect better data to track the issue and assess progress, and create a global movement to change attitudes and combat stigma.
It is crucial that this movement includes the voices of those who have experienced loneliness and social isolation to gain insight into what true solutions look like.
We as leaders have a choice: to remain passive. Every day we delay adds to the day’s lost potential, unnecessary suffering, and preventable death. However, we can create more resilient, connected, and healthier societies if we take bold steps, work together, and show compassion on a large scale.
Socializing is not a luxury. It is necessary for humans. And now must it be a political priority more than ever.
Source: Aljazeera
Leave a Reply