Psychology Today: Making Social Connections More Meaningful

Levels of loneliness in the U.S. were increasing before the pandemic and have increased over the past two years. According to a 2021 national survey by Harvard researchers, 36% of respondents reported feeling lonely “frequently” or “almost all the time," 61% of young people aged 18-25, and 51% of mothers with young children reported these concerning degrees of loneliness.

Research links chronic loneliness with an increased likelihood of dementia, cognitive decline, immunity issues, and heart disease, which contributes to a shorter lifespan. It has also been linked to negative impacts on individual and team performance, not to mention lower levels of life satisfaction and quality of life.

The Three Elements Needed to Foster Connection

Fostering meaningful connections in one’s work and in life takes more than simply creating opportunities for people to interact with each other, like happy hours and team lunches.

Social psychologist and researcher, Dr. Julianne Holt-Lunstand studies the link between social connectedness and health. In her research, she refers to social connection as physical, behavioral, cognitive, and emotional, with three major components:

• Structural support via the physical or behavioral presence of others in our lives.
• Functional support via perception that support is available to us.
• Quality support via the positive or negative emotional nature of our relationships.

All three of these components inform the extent to which we feel high or low levels of social connection and creating more meaningful connection requires we address all three elements.

7 Ways to Foster Meaningful Connection at Work and in Life

Creating more meaningful connections starts with an individual, group, or organization identifying the kinds of relational interactions and behaviors that foster connection and belonging.

Here are a few ways you can foster connection for yourself and how you can make your co-workers feel more connected:

• Identify and reinforce the values that foster social connection and belonging, for example, authenticity, respect, compassion, and empathy.
• Engage in more informal and casual conversations that go deeper than surface-level concerns.
• Create digital connection opportunities that emphasize peer-led, informal, personal conversations that are not task- or work-related.
• Incorporate small-group interactions into larger gatherings.
• Seek out training for yourself and others to promote skill-building in the areas of psychological safety, authentic relating, forgiveness, and appreciative inquiry.
• Add times for personal sharing into regular meetings or gatherings.
• Incorporate relationship-building skills into personal growth and professional development plans, including active listening, compassion, and emotional intelligence skills.

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#Communication #Relationships #Connection #Support