Human interaction- a basic need

With all this social distancing it is worth discussing the value of social interaction. Do we need other people? Introverted, extroverted, or ambiverted, you will go a little insane if you don't have human interaction.

Loneliness, surprisingly, doesn't lie with the number of friends we have, but how many people we personally connect with. If you don't trust someone, don't feel socially supported, or there is some emotional conflict in the air it may cause loneliness in a crowd of people.

With all the quarantining in Ohio, it is also worth discussing what can happen when loneliness becomes chronic. It can trigger mental illness spirals, as well as cause heart damage, poor sleep, poor appetite, substance abuse, depression, and suicidal thoughts and tendencies. This is loneliness at its worst. With the distance between us and our loved ones, we should make sure we are reaching out to them. Emotional connection is at the core of who we are because God created us to be in community with Him and our fellow man and womankind. Let's be kind to each other. The deeper our social relationships, the longer our lives can be. It really does make a difference to have an emotional connection with others.

Our Devices and Loneliness

We live in an age of technology, and it is everywhere! Lose your internet for a while and you immediately find out the apps on your phone, tablets, and laptops that only work on wifi. You quickly learn how much you actually depend on the internet. I depend on it to post this blog, and I lost internet for a while. With it, I lost online communication and had to depend on a phone with data for a few weeks to even work from home. Let's be real here - you can't escape a screen! 

Eric Pickersgill edited the smartphones out of this picture.

But does online communication actually equal the face-to-face and touch affection we need?  We stare at our phones and ignore the world around us, stunting physical and emotional interaction without realizing we are starving ourselves of deeper friendships. Our Zoom and Skype interactions may be connecting us from a distance, but they may be creating more social distance than we know. We aren't getting the same energy from that interaction through a screen that we would in greeting them at their apartment for a meal and movie. .

Our technology may actually dull our sense of social cues, in some ways, because we aren't reading as much body language and facial expressions. When you dull that sense of in-person interaction you can find yourself unsatisfied with your relationships. Hearing voices, watching reactions, and paying attention to the world around you is infinitely more rewarding than a tiny device that steals your time from you in the form of social media. I'm not saying social media doesn't have its uses, but it does steal time from us when we scroll out of boredom. 

Using our devices to connect with others is a great thing to do, I promise, but let's keep in perspective that this little device or large device sitting in your lap is an object that is not human interaction. It is close, but not quite. With all the Zoom meetings we are forced into having because we are in quarantine, it reminds us just how nice meeting our coworkers in person really is, and how much human affection actually boosts our mood. 

Human Affection

Human affection is a need we have that can't be satisfied from six feet away. It is a human connection on varying levels that connects us by emotion. The five love languages are an example of the types of this. Hugs, kisses, holding hands, touch, and cuddling are things that we actually need as humans to feel secure and wanted by those around us, especially romantically. As risky as affection can be (it leaves us vulnerable) we need it. 

Lack of affection can result in stress, anxiety, depression, and unhappiness all around. Those starved of it can't form healthy relationships easily. The cure isn't to text your friends - it is to find them and hug them! In all seriousness, lack of affection is called "skin hunger" by some because we need to be touched. With the six-feet-away social distance, we may be starving others of what they need. Yes, Covid19 is serious, but human affection is a basic need. We can't deny we need touch. Whether you are hugging your cat or your brother, it is a basic need.


I will say that we should follow CDC guidelines. This blog is not saying we should outright ignore them. I am simply saying that we need the human interaction and should remember technology won't replace that need. Call your friends and hear their voices.








Sources:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/emotional-nourishment/201612/why-we-need-each-other
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/12/well/live/having-friends-is-good-for-you.html
https://medium.com/the-ascent/the-importance-of-human-interaction-in-the-age-of-technology-795f89c5310a
https://www.everydayhealth.com/healthy-living/why-we-have-need-affection/
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/affectionado/201308/what-lack-affection-can-do-you

Pictures:
Christian Connection Blog
Quartz - Eric Pickersgill photographer
The Medium