In this excellent Washington Post blog ‘Prioritizing these three things will improve your life — and maybe even save it‘, a point is made that “Smoking, drinking, exercise and even heart problems are not predictors of a person’s longevity — a person’s close relationships and social integration were.”
Too bad for social networks and digital freaks, “It’s not enough to text or email. The actual health benefits of socializing are only achieved through in-person contact “Face-to-face contact releases a whole cascade of neurotransmitters and, like a vaccine, they protect you now in the present and well into the future,” [psychologist Susan Pinker] said“.
“Face-to-face contact releases a whole cascade of neurotransmitters and, like a vaccine, they protect you now in the present and well into the future. And it doesn’t even have to be long, close interactions to have an immediate effect. Making eye contact, shaking someone’s hand, giving someone a high-five lowers your cortisone levels and releases dopamine, making you less stressed and giving you a little high”
Well let’s give this computer or phone a short break and have a little face-to-face interaction, shouldn’t we?
