New Social Connection Guidelines Aim to Transform Well-being

New Social Connection Guidelines Aim to Transform Well-being

Social connection is more than just a feel-good concept—it’s a cornerstone of mental, physical, and societal health. With the release of the Social Connection Guidelines, individuals, organizations, and policymakers now have an evidence-based framework to foster human connection and combat loneliness. These guidelines were released at the third annual Human Connection Conference in Vancouver on November 5, 2024 by Dr. Kiffer Card. This was an exciting announcement for me as you can likely tell from this short video.

 

Why Social Health Matters

Loneliness and social isolation aren’t just emotional challenges; they have severe health implications. Research links poor social health to increased risks of heart disease, depression, and even premature death. These guidelines emphasize the importance of prioritizing social connection as a public health imperative, akin to how we approach nutrition or exercise.

Practical Steps to Build Human Connection

The guidelines provide actionable advice for strengthening social health, such as:  

– Maintaining three to five close friendships to reduce feelings of loneliness and anxiety.  

– Spending one to three hours daily on meaningful social interactions, including conversations with family, friends, or colleagues.  

– Expanding your network to include “weak ties” (e.g., neighbours, coworkers) to build a sense of community and diverse support systems.  

Building a Connected Future

The guidelines also address systemic changes, advocating for human-centric design in neighbourhoods, workplaces, and schools to encourage deeper relationships. By embedding social connection into daily life and policy, we can create happier, healthier communities. These are the first social connection guidelines in the world, so take a moment and check them out!

Visit SocialConnectionGuidelines.org to see for yourself. I believe that together, we can redefine health by placing human connection at the forefront of well-being, one face-to-face conversation at a time.

My personal experience from a journey of intentionally meeting a new person every day for a full year absolutely changed my life. It could also change yours.

It’s Time to Change Your Life by Meeting People

Consider how you might help a person out with your broad life, or business experience and make someone’s day? This is how friendships and meaningful relationships begin and those very relationships can literally extend your life. So the next time you get a hunch that you might have an opportunity to create more social connection, I invite you to follow that hunch and see what happens.

Happy connecting.

Tony Esteves is a passionate advocate for human connection, known for his “Talk2MorePeople Project”, where he met a new person daily for a year. His book, “Talk2MorePeople: Change Your Life by Meeting people.”, shares insights on building meaningful connections. As a coach and speaker, Tony inspires others to make connection a natural part of life.