Better Together

Moai participants connect, pre-COVID-19, in April 2019. (Photo courtesy of BCHD) By Lauren Nakano, Director, Blue Zones Project, BCHD If you think about the paradigm of our lives right now, it’s confusing. As humans we are innately wired for social connection; science has proved our health and well-being depend on it. At the same time in this unprecedented pandemic, our health and well-being are also contingent on our ability and willingness to socially distance. Before the pandemic our communities and the Nation were struggling. The year 2017 was the first time no state in the nation saw an improvement in well-being, according to Gallup. Loneliness and social isolation can be as damaging to health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, according to the U.S. Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA). Loneliness does not discriminate, and it can appear as anger, alienation, sadness and a host of distressing emotional states. Although loneliness is more likely in populations who are at risk for social alienation, isolation, and separation, anyone can feel lonely at any time. This includes college-aged young adults, care givers and stigmatized groups. We are in a paradigm shift…

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