The Simple Power of Relationships
Meaningful Connection is a Crucial Component of a Healthy Life
Hello Dear Readers!
It has been a little while since my last post. There was lots of travel, family time, and reflection over the last month that was simultaneously rejuvenating and a bit exhausting. However, I am now back in San Francisco and the sun has finally decided to come out again!
Now that I am back from my work travels I had to think a little bit about the direction of this blog. I want to keep exploring orthopedics and global health, and to be sure there will be a lot of that content here including more trips abroad, but I also want to branch out a bit more. I am still seeking that exact direction but for now I am operating off this: I want to explore more of the science and research around living happier, healthier lives wherever that knowledge exists. So without further ado, as my college rugby couch was very fond of saying, lets get stuck in.
Let’s start with a short description of the world’s longest running study on happiness, the Harvard study of Adult Development. Beginning in 1938 researchers recruited a mixture of 724 Harvard students and low-income boys from Boston (including future president JFK). Over the more than 80 intervening years they have collected data on health, wellness, and a multitude of other factors from not only the original participants but their partners and 3 generations of offspring. The study now has interviewed over 13,000 people and counting. I will highlight one of the major takeaways, but if you are interested in learning more I would highly recommend the recently published book by the modern day study authors, The Good Life (Or this 12 minute Ted talk by the author).
Know that you have the background, let’s get to that main takeaway shall we? It’s relatively simple, perhaps obvious to some. The key to long-term health and happiness was not money, power, fame, or anything else one might think. It was the strength and quality of one’s relationships.
Strong and healthy relationships, with one’s family, friends, and partners, was the single most consistent aspect the researchers found in what was predictive of a long, happy, and healthy life.
Healthy relationships were a better predictor of long-term physical health than cholesterol levels. Healthy relationships were even linked to lower levels of cognitive decline as participants got older. Participants didn’t need to be social butterflies either. Researchers found that it was much less about the total number of friends an individual had, but the depth of those individual relationships. Quality over quantity.
Now relationships are not a silver bullet, but they had just as much as an effect on our long term health as the things we more commonly hear about (not smoking, remaining active, limiting alcohol, etc.). The COVID-19 pandemic brought a new focus to the silent epidemic of loneliness that is affecting all levels of our society, from young kids to the elderly. It is clear that despite the interconnectedness that technology was supposed to offer, it is in fact leading to less and more shallow relationships. One of my favorite studies found that simply the presence of a phone on a table during a conversation, even if it was not used at all, lead to significantly less meaningful conversations.
The first step in fixing an problem is identifying it. As we enter a new year and maybe even set some goals, I encourage you to spend a little time reflecting on the relationships in your life. Spend that 8 minutes to call a friend, touch base with a relative, or strike up a conversation with a stranger in a coffee shop. You may surprised how you feel afterwards.
A little bit of human connection can go a long way. I think one of main challenges of the next 10 to 20 years will be figuring out how to preserve the ones we have and create new ones in an increasingly digital world. According to this research, answering those very difficult questions could save just as many lives as figuring out the next big drug to treat diabetes or heart disease.
Till next time,
Jamieson O’Marr
Thank you for reading to the end! I would love to hear your thoughts, feel free to respond in the comments or by email. I am all ears!
What I am Consuming: The Last of Us - HBO Max. I don’t watch a ton of TV, but this new show is based off the smash hit 2013 video game of the same name (probably my favorite of all time). If you have the chance to watch it please do, it’s off to an incredible start!
What’s in my Headphones: The Lows by Quinn XCII - All right I may not have the most expansive music tastes in the world, but that’s okay. I will convert you all to Chelsea Cutler/Quinn fans. I am very excited about Quinn XCII’s new album that drops next Friday! Give his most recent single a listen.