LUV works in not-so-mysterious ways.
The Science of Connection: Relational Health
We are all born to connect. In fact, there’s no single thing more impactful to our overall health and well-being than the connection we experience in the very first hour of life. So it should come as no surprise to learn that relationships- emotional connection-is the most profound thing we can do to protect and heal from traumatic events.
Trauma and adversity, especially experienced in childhood, can be so damaging that you physically change. They injure your cells, your brain, and your very DNA, causing many systems to malfunction. The damage is so deep, it can last the rest of your life, and pass down to the next generation so it lasts the rest of theirs too.
The Loneliness Epidemic
Trauma is not just physical. Social isolation – the lack of emotional connection- is the main predictor for poor health and premature death. It is as dangerous for your health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day!
The social connection problem has become such a strain on the health and wellbeing of the entire country, the U.S. Surgeon General’s 2023 Advisory Report identifies loneliness as a national epidemic and the greatest health threat of our time.
What is their highest recommendation to stop it? Relationships. They are the treatment, intervention, and prevention rolled into one. And what’s more, we all have the power to create them.
The LUV Effect
Relational health is a proven game-changer in building resilience to overcome the effects of both ACEs and social isolation. They create positive neural feedback loops, improving well-being throughout our biological and psychological systems on a cellular and molecular level. Relational health is so powerful, it alone reduces the incidence of several illnesses and addictions, such as:
- Depression 44%
- Smoking 33%
- COPD 27%
- Asthma 24%
- Heavy Drinking 24%
On a community level, relational health is key to standing strong together. We withstand natural disasters better, we protect against illness and diseases better, and we build more prosperity together. The more we connect, the more we relate, the healthier and happier we all are.