It cannot be disputed that humans are social beings by nature, without which, could contribute to mental health issues in the long run.
Social interaction can of course take different forms, discussions with friends, colleagues at work, groups to which we belong and so on. At the end of the day, it gives a soothing, relaxing and relieving effect on us. However, have you ever wondered the effect it has on your mental health?
Our mental stability is as important as our physical wellbeing, this is why it is pivotal to find ways to protect our mental health.
In today’s article we will be discussing the ways social Interaction can boost our mental health. But before delving into that let’s quickly understand what social Interaction entails.
What is Social Interaction?
Social interaction in simple terms can be defined as the process in which people communicate, converse or share ideas with one another.
According to Wikipedia, social interaction or social relation is the way people talk and act with each other. It may include interactions in a team, family or bureaucracy. It includes any relationship between two or more individuals.
However, not every social interaction is meaningful. The power social interaction has in shaping and influencing our decisions is enormous and this is why it is pertinent to be careful of the interactions we have.
Research has it that a person’s social interaction is as good as his mental health, though individual experiences may vary. This discovery is quite striking and entails two things.
A positive interaction or communication assures better mental health but a negative and toxic interaction produces poor state of mental health and wellbeing.
Loneliness on the other hand, can be defined as a state of solitude or being alone. It causes people to feel empty, alone and unwanted. This could lead to depression, suicidal attempts, and cause a deterioration in a person’s immune system, just to say a few.
Research has it that loneliness is so damaging to your health and is equivalent to smoking fifteen (15) cigarettes a day.
Now, lets move on to the effects of social interaction on your mental health.
5 Ways Social Interaction Boosts Mental Health
1. Reduces Stress
When we interact with people, it helps to reduce stress. Ever noticed how you feel after having a conversation with a friend?
Especially when it’s a person you are comfortable around. It energises, empowers, and refreshes your mental health thereby improving the ways to overcome depression, stress and anxiety.
Research has shown that people who interact socially lower their risks of having diabetes, arthritis, cardiovascular diseases and protect themselves from other infections.
However, this is only applicable to those who involve themselves in positive social connection or interaction. It’s really not just about socialising, but interacting with the right set of people.
It’s like being in a toxic relationship and expecting to have something beneficial or substantial out of it- it’s impossible.
Finding people who share the same ideas and mindsets as yours will help immensely. Just find your clique.
It is better to invest your time in people who add substance to your life than those who drain you up. The more you interact positively, the more you improve your brain.
2. Emotional Regulation
Social interaction helps greatly in regulating our emotions. This is particularly factual and I am sure everyone has experienced it. It presents itself in different mechanisms
Oftentimes, when we experience emotions such as sadness, happiness, a need to vent, loneliness, or moodiness, we feel the urge to express ourselves and communicate our situations with someone.
Social interaction helps us express our feelings, preventing emotions from being bottled up, which can increase stress, invariably leading to deduced mental state.
Asides this, social interaction also helps us in seeking validation and understanding. Being around people who understand you gives you a sense of belonging and safety.
It also enables you to share ideas or perspectives and get advice about issues.
Having constructive and progressive discussions helps you gain a greater level of insight to issues, thereby providing solutions to challenges.
It is inherent that we be careful about those that we express our emotions with.
Your emotions greatly affect your physical and mental well-being. This implies that we have to learn ways to prioritise self love and self care. The kinds of associations you keep clearly tells you the level at which you care about our mental, physical and emotional well being.
When you prioritise self love and self care, it automatically affects your associations, the friends you keep, the activities you involve yourself in and ultimately, the decisions you make.
Learn to prioritise your self worth and care.
3. Improves Self Esteem
Social interaction helps to improve our self esteem, how, you may ask?
There are two things involved here.
Ever heard the saying, “what you think, you become”?
This statement explains that a person’s thoughts and mindset, influences their actions and ultimately shapes their future. Positive and constructive thoughts about oneself helps in creating a more optimistic outlook. This helps in improving his emotional well-being and his reactions to challenges.
The second aspect are the friends he surrounds himself with. If he has a positive mindset about himself and his future, he has to have friends that also sees this or thinks even better than he does about himself.
Imagine having a right mindset, very optimistic, and resilient and then, the people you interact with are the direct opposite. It simply just means that you don’t belong there.
True friends are people who love, respect, value, and encourage you to be a better version of yourself. They are always supportive, giving the right advice, they share in your values and believe in you.
When you have friends with the above qualities, your self esteem will be greatly heightened. It’s good to have good self esteem, but the people closest to you need to see your uniqueness and vice versa. This helps in making your interaction more productive thereby increasing your mental health.
4. Creates a Sense of Belonging
Socialising helps to create a sense of belonging. Besides a person’s family members, it’s always a relief knowing that you have someone that cares about you truthfully without ulterior motives.
However, nowadays, it’s becoming rather difficult to find honest and sincere people who truly care. Howbeit, there are still a few good people in the world but in order to find them, you would have to be the friend you want to have.
Some of us used to have good friends who cared about us but because of misunderstandings, we let them go, or it could just be that they caused it.
Nevertheless, social interactions which need to be rekindled should be revitalised and those which need not be should be left as it is.
Whoever improves your mental health positively should not be disregarded.
5. Learning and Growth
Social interaction helps us learn and grow better. When we Interact with people, we share ideas and information which helps to enhance cognitive stimulation.
It can also be very helpful in terms of personal development, opening us to new opportunities and possibility, helps correct wrong ideologies and keep us abreast with latest updates around the world.
Other benefits of social interaction is that it reduces blood pressure,
Conclusion
Loneliness can have drastic effects on our mental and overall health. It can elevate blood pressure and disrupt sleep patterns.
Social interaction on the other hand has proven to be most productive for our mental health and well-being.
Keeping a positive social interaction is one of the ways to love your brain and improve your mental and physical health. We have to do away with people who have nothing to offer.
Our mental health is to be taken with utmost priority and not trivially.
The more you love your brain, the more your mental and physical health improves.
“You never really hear much from hearing yourself speak”. ~ George Clooney
