5 ms·

Unlike being fit, being social doesn't have any inherent benefit in terms of health. It's merely a preference.

bawolff 2y ago
That's probably not true. Lonliness is linked to both physical and mental health issues. However being social and not being lonely is not the same thing.
- Izkata 2y ago
  Loneliness and being alone aren't the same thing either.
cdrini 2y ago
That's not quite true, social isolation has been shown to be correlated with an increased risk of dementia and cognitive impairment in older age. And I reckon there are other studies that show correlations with other health outcomes.
- swat535 2y ago
  I suppose it depends on the person but the older I get, the less patience I have for people and the more I rather focus on myself, hobbies and quiet time. I don’t have time for fake social gatherings or pretending like parent does. If I meet someone genuine I will engage with them, otherwise I much rather to keep to my own devices..
  - ethbr1 2y ago
    I'd hazard that's exactly why it's inportant: mental exposure to uncomfortable and novel situations.
  - cdrini 2y ago
    As a thought experiment, jumping back to the parallel with fitness, is your statement the same as saying "I suppose it depends on the person, but the older I get, the less patience I have for eating healthy and exercising, and the more I'd rather focus on eating food I like and spending time on my sedentary hobbies."? As in, it's 100% your choice to live your life that way, but you also have to accept that there are health repercussions associated with certain life styles. Side note: I'm not sure what you mean by a "fake" social gathering. But for me, I've been taking part in a debate society, and some French meetups lately to socialise more, and I've loved it. Everyone is genuine in that they're there for a specific shared interest. And I've found that my thoughts/ideas are greatly improved from the ability to debate with others. Sometimes I'll realise I have a huge blind spot, and need to reject an idea. Sometimes I'll realise my idea had a short coming and that it needs to be adapted. Either way it just improves my thinking.
achierius 2y ago
I don't think this is true, unless perhaps if you use a very narrow definition of 'inherent'. e.g. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3150158/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3150158/ Reduces mortality, increases happiness, cardiovascular health, etc.

That's probably not true. Lonliness is linked to both physical and mental health issues. However being social and not being lonely is not the same thing.

Izkata 2y ago
Loneliness and being alone aren't the same thing either.

cdrini 2y ago

That's not quite true, social isolation has been shown to be correlated with an increased risk of dementia and cognitive impairment in older age. And I reckon there are other studies that show correlations with other health outcomes.

swat535 2y ago
I suppose it depends on the person but the older I get, the less patience I have for people and the more I rather focus on myself, hobbies and quiet time. I don’t have time for fake social gatherings or pretending like parent does. If I meet someone genuine I will engage with them, otherwise I much rather to keep to my own devices..
- ethbr1 2y ago
  I'd hazard that's exactly why it's inportant: mental exposure to uncomfortable and novel situations.
- cdrini 2y ago
  As a thought experiment, jumping back to the parallel with fitness, is your statement the same as saying "I suppose it depends on the person, but the older I get, the less patience I have for eating healthy and exercising, and the more I'd rather focus on eating food I like and spending time on my sedentary hobbies."? As in, it's 100% your choice to live your life that way, but you also have to accept that there are health repercussions associated with certain life styles. Side note: I'm not sure what you mean by a "fake" social gathering. But for me, I've been taking part in a debate society, and some French meetups lately to socialise more, and I've loved it. Everyone is genuine in that they're there for a specific shared interest. And I've found that my thoughts/ideas are greatly improved from the ability to debate with others. Sometimes I'll realise I have a huge blind spot, and need to reject an idea. Sometimes I'll realise my idea had a short coming and that it needs to be adapted. Either way it just improves my thinking.

achierius 2y ago

I don't think this is true, unless perhaps if you use a very narrow definition of 'inherent'. e.g. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3150158/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3150158/ Reduces mortality, increases happiness, cardiovascular health, etc.