About this app

Overwork, changed circumstances, depression or loss of self-esteem can all lead to you neglecting your social life. Yet good social connections are vital to your wellbeing. It's great to be comfortable with your own company but too much isolation is a risk factor for developing psychological problems and also, it seems, physical health problems.

Health dangers of loneliness

Loneliness and social isolation is toxic. This is confirmed by insurance statistics and many research studies. One such study featured 972 medical students and classified them into different personality types. Thirty years later the former students health was tested. The results? The students classified as 'loners' had 16 times more cancer than the people who were more socially connected.

It seems that suicide, alcoholism and mental and physical illness rates are much higher among people living alone if they don't have a good social support network.

Researchers found that it's not just a question of the mentally healthy being able to form more quality social ties but that the quantity and quality of social ties themselves act as a preventative to developing poorer mental health.

Modern life and social connection

In the United Kingdom single house holds are increasing and there are increasingly more single parents going it alone. The extended family has often splintered meaning that more people have less contact with their families who may live hundreds of miles away. Many activities are solitary such as working on a computer. The popularity of social networking websites show how important it is for people to feel socially connected but they cannot replace the specific benefits engendered by actually seeing people.

Letting your social life slip

It's easy to forget that maintaining social life takes some effort and commitment. Regular contact needs to be maintained with people and there need to be regular dates to meet. Just relying on others to contact you won't do it.

And the better your social life becomes the more you'll be able to focus on work and other activities because the social side of your needs as a human being are taken care of. Having a healthy social life means you have more 'spare capacity' to function better in other spheres.