May 29, 2023
Everywhere we look these days we’re bombarded by talk: social media, TV news and opinion shows, podcasts, blogs, emails, texts. And yet, we’re living in an age where social isolation and loneliness are on the rise, leading many to call this an epidemic. More than one-third of Americans over the age of 45 report feeling lonely, with prevalence especially high among those under 25 and over 65 years old. While this alarming trend has grown, so has the understanding and evidence of its impact: Social connection significantly affects the health of all of us. In today’s episode, Kasley Killam, a leading expert in social isolation and loneliness, talks about the need to go beyond our traditional thinking that physical and mental health are all that matter. There’s a third dimension to well-being, Kasley points out, that is related to social health—the dimension to well-being that comes from our relationships, our connection and community. Kasley, the Founder of Social Health Labs, will explain how over a decade of studying, sharing and applying the science of human connection has led her to elevate the idea of social health to help individuals, organizations and communities become more socially healthy. She’ll describe the evolution of many key components of social health, such as the role of healthy community design in significantly addressing major societal problems, including health disparities and climate change. Kasley will describe an array of compelling programs and initiatives, such Connect+Conversations, an event series created by Social Health Labs and the Foundation for Social Connection that convened 26 experts and over 2,500 community members from 55 countries to discuss how to reduce and prevent loneliness. And not only will Kasley explain why all this matters, she’ll offer steps each of us can take to strengthen our social health in our day-to-day life.