In our age of Internet, texting, Face book, My space, home video games, and just technology in general, we are losing touch with society and it is detrimental to our health.  According to Dr. Richard Schwartz, author of The Lonely Americanwith his wife, Dr. Jacquelyn Olds, socially isolated individuals were twice as likely to die as socially connected neighbors and there is a direct effect of social isolation on longevity.  Schwartz cited a two-year study revealing that simply feeling lonely leads to a change in expression of more than 200 genes, and most of these modifications are harmful.  Olds states, “Neuroscience lets us know that when we are in the presence of someone else, we get input from all five senses and even our visceral organs, and they are all connected to the orbital frontal cortex in the brain, which receives impressions and helps us make social judgements.”  In other words, human beings need to be in contact with other human beings, and not just through the computer or texting.  We need to see facial expressions and body language, hear voices, and be touched (something as simple as a handshake is very important to our well-being). 

From the health and fitness perspective, Dr. Barbara Brehm, a professor of exercise and sport studies at Smith College states that, “when you feel isolated, you get the same kind of neuroendocrine and immune response as when you are under stress.”  This means higher cortisone levels, which may lead to weight gain, immunodeficiency disorders, heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke.  And if new research isn’t enough, remember Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.

So what to do to stave off this potentially inevitable problem?  Turn off your phone and computer for a few hours and get together with some friends!  Don’t have any anymore or they are all just Facebook friends?  Then go make some new ones and stay in shape at the same time.  Here are some ideas…

• Plan a hiking or backpacking trip with some friends or find a group of people you can tag along with.  There are many hiking clubs out there or go on a guided hike with a credible company such as Just Roughin’ It (gratuitous self promotion).
• Walk with friends and raise money for Breast Cancer research.  Every year, 15 cities nationwide host the Breast Cancer 3-Day walk.  Spend three days walking 60 miles and 2 nights camping for a great cause.  While you are raising money ($2,300) in order to participate, you do have to get out and train and what a better way to complete such a feat than meeting some people with the same interests.  Get a group together and walk!
• Sign up for an adult intermeral sports team or league.
• Take lessons of some sort - dancing, tennis, martial arts, etc.
• Play Wii - WITH FRIENDS!

Source:  Jim Gerard for American Council on Exercise - Fitness Matters, Volume 15, Issue 6, 2009.