Social connectedness is central to mental functioning, health and well-being, say researchers.
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GUILDFORD, U.K.: Forget expensive drugs, social connectedness is the new health and well-being blockbuster to ward off illness, according to a group of new studies.
"A large part of our sense of self is driven by group membership and social identity," said Alex Haslam, social psychologist from the University of Exeter in England. "If a drug provided that same level of improvement as our results with social group therapy you could sell it for a lot of money."
Reduced risk
Talking at the British Science Festival earlier this month, Haslam pointed to a U.S. study which investigated the protective effect of social groups on well-being after stroke. The results showed that of 655 patient studied, those who were socially isolated has a 40% greater risk of having another stroke within five years.
By comparison, high blood pressure, lack of exercise or a family history of coronary artery disease only increased stroke risk by 10 to 30%, he said.
"We are social animals who live and have evolved to live in social groups. Membership of groups, from football teams to book clubs and voluntary societies, gives us a sense of social identity," said Haslam. "This is an indispensable part of who we are and what we need to be in order to lead rich and fulfilling lives. For this reason groups are central to mental functioning, health and well-being".
A similar University of Exeter study of stroke patients showed that people with a wide social network reported 20% higher levels of well-being following stroke.
Memory and well-being
"The protective effect was significant - essentially for every person that a patient was able to retain [after a stroke], well-being increased by 12%," said study co-author Catherine Haslam. The results were detailed in the journal Neuropsychological Rehabilitation.
Memory and well-being were investigated in a study of residential care homes, which split residents into three groups each with a different activity related to social interaction, she said.
Over a six-week period, one group shared reminiscences about the past, discussing subjects like weddings, the war, and school days, another group played skittles and the final group had one-to-one reminiscence discussions.
"After six weeks of 'group reminiscence therapy' we found a 12% increase in memory tests," said Catherine. No improvement was seen in the group that had one-on-one discussions. The results were detailed in the journal Psychology and Aging.
Similar benefits have been seen in further study which looked at the effect of group membership on severity of dementia.
"On the basis of what is now a very large body of research we would urge the medical community to recognise the key role that participation in group life can play in protecting our mental and physical health," she said. "It's much cheaper than medication, with far fewer side effects, and is also much more enjoyable."
Commenting on the findings Jolanda Jetten a researcher at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, said: "[This] research shows just how important groups and social identity are to well-being."
"This is something that people often overlook in the rush to find medical solutions to problems associated with ageing, but it is time that these factors were taken much more seriously".
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