Disconnection, “dislocation” and poor “attunement” could be the silent killer of our times. While a loneliness epidemic preceded the pandemic, with countries like the United Kingdom even assigning a Loneliness Minister back in 2018, social and physical distancing and digital dependence have taken this issue to a whole other level. Tellingly, the World Health Organization recently identified social isolation and loneliness as an urgent global health priority. 

The loneliness crisis mirrors our escalating global mental health crisis, the former corresponding directly with increased rates of psychological disorders, suicidality, and addictions. American Psychiatrist Dr. Robert Waldinger, Zen Priest and Director of one of the longest longitudinal studies (85 years and counting) ever conducted on adult development, has been studying this area for some time, sharing in his widely watched Ted Talk (with 44 million+ views), that the principal determinant of happiness and longevity is not how much money, material success or fitness you possess, but rather the quality and density of your social ties. 

“If people maintain a network of good relationships, they are more likely to weather the storms and they’re more likely to be happy.” – Dr. Robert Waldinger 

In Waldinger’s recent text entitled ‘The Good Life: Lessons from the Longest Study of Happiness’, it was found that when commuters were instructed to engage in conversations with strangers on a subway the majority were positively impacted and rated their commute far more favourably. Notwithstanding safety concerns and relevant sensible precautions, using the subway and other similar day-to-day encounters to improve our connectedness makes good sense. Recognizing and reassessing the significance of these oft-ignored and devalued interactions could do a lot more to fill up our mental and physical cups than we realize. 

“We seem particularly bad at forecasting the benefits of relationships. A big part of this is the obvious fact that relationships can be messy and unpredictable. This messiness is some of what prompts many of us to prefer being alone. It’s not just that we are seeking solitude; it’s that we want to avoid the potential mess of connecting with others. But we overestimate that mess and underestimate the beneficial effects of human connection. This is a feature of our decision making in general: we pay a lot of attention to potential costs and downplay or dismiss potential benefits.” – Dr. Robert Waldinger 

So what does this all mean in the context of mental healthcare? Perhaps it makes sense to consider prescribing more social solutions to these issues than strictly personal ones. Can we find more and better ways to talk to one another? The

pandemic left us with generational deficits in these areas which beg for interventions. For me, finding community with others via my love of yoga has been instrumental to my healing journey. Proactively seeking out spaces and places of potential meaningful interpersonal connections is more transformative than often assumed and probably should constitute more of ‘what the doctor ordered’ than is currently practiced. 

Feature Image: Nate Dorr on Flickr