Reaching Out to Others Has a Greater Impact Than You'd Expect
"Reaching out to friends and making an effort in this way—particularly with those we haven’t spoken to in a while—can have a larger positive impact than we might think, new research has suggested.
People Appreciate Messages and Gifts From Friends
In the second part of the study, participants on a college campus wrote notes and sent gifts to classmates they’d not spoken to for a while. The senders guessed how much the recipients would appreciate the gifts and notes. The recipients then took part in the study themselves, revealing how much they appreciated the gestures. Again, the senders underestimated the appreciation of the recipients.
The Benefits of Reaching Out
Why do we tend to underestimate how much other people will enjoy hearing from us? “Some people may be anxious about not getting the right response or feeling like a nuisance,” says Elena Touroni, PhD, a consultant psychologist and co-founder of The Chelsea Psychology Clinic. “But it could also just be because we find it hard to put ourselves in another person’s shoes. Messages can be fleeting and so it’s easy to forget how good we felt when we heard from someone.”
How Socializing Helps Us
“Connection is a basic human need,” explains Dr. Touroni, “Besides our basic survival needs like food, shelter, and water, we need to feel a sense of belonging. This served an evolutionary function—being part of a tribe was key to our survival. Connecting with others has been linked to lower anxiety and depression, improved self-esteem, and even immunity. And so the need to connect is an essential component of being human.”
“There is evidence linking perceived social isolation with health consequences including depression, poor sleep quality, quicker cognitive decline, poor cardiovascular function, and impaired immunity at every stage of life. Being socially isolated is a highly negative and painful social experience for people,” explains Hana Patel, MBBS BSc MSc(Med Ed), a GP and mental health coach. Finding the time to check in with friends can be tricky, but if you’re able to do so from time to time you might find that you both end up getting a mental boost, as Dr. Touroni explains."
Read the complete article available at Very Well Mind!
Reflection:
Have you reached out to a distant friend/family member recently? How did you feel and how did they feel?
*I have friends who I grew up with abroad and since I'm in a completely different country right now, I always make sure to reach out to them when I come back for holiday in addition to talking to them when I'm away. They always mention how they appreciate me reaching out and I feel the same. I love catching up with them.*
#Relationships #Communication #Connection
@comfortableNight4463
Whenever I reach out to my friends, I do notice that they feel appreciative.
I also notice it when people do it for me!
It’s a very nice gesture.
It let’s us feel appreciated and cared for!
Thanks for sharing! ✨💛
@innateJoy9602 Exactly. Everyone loves to feel seen and cared for! Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
@comfortableNight4463
One of my fears that I have when reaching out to people is that I'm worried that I'll be taking up their time in asking them to spend some time talking. But now perhaps maybe it's more appreciative than I previously thought! Perhaps this gives me more confidence to reach out :)
@sunnyWriting4806 I also used to think that way but my friends have shown very genuinely pleased reactions that changed my mind. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
@comfortableNight4463
Wow! Amazing article! I loved it! Reaching out is so important and yes I have reached out and I'm so happy I did!