社会关系专家如何保持联系，为什么

每周一次，社会联系专家Dr. 朱丽安·霍尔特-伦斯塔德花了一个下午和丈夫内森去滑雪. During the pandemic, the Salt Lake City couple started hiking together regularly. And after 30 years of marriage, they still set aside time to go out on dates.

这不仅仅是美满婚姻的秘诀, 霍尔特·龙史塔德说, a professor of psychology and neuroscience in the department of psychology at Brigham Young University in Provo, 犹他州.

这可能会帮助他们活得更久.

"There is strong scientific evidence that it's really beneficial to your health to have good relationships in your life,她说.

Holt-Lunstad talks about what research has shown and explains how to maintain strong connections with family and friends in "专家说," an 美国心脏协会 沙巴足球体育平台 series in which specialists discuss how they apply what they've learned to their own lives. 以下对她的采访经过编辑.

良好的人际关系与健康有什么关系?

研究表明，社会联系更紧密的人可以做到这一点 活得更久. They are at reduced risk for earlier death from all causes, including cardiovascular disease. 其他研究表明，糟糕的社会关系会影响健康 与 a 29% increased risk for coronary heart disease and a 32% increased risk for stroke. There is also a growing body of research that suggests social isolation may increase inflammation, 提高血压, increase stress and make it harder to get good sleep and stay physically active. 所有这些都可能导致心血管疾病.

把它放在上下文中, lacking social connections may be on par with other well-known cardiovascular risk factors, 包括吸烟和酗酒, 并且可能超过患高血压的风险, 肥胖和不运动.

婚姻如何影响心脏健康?

结了婚的人更健康，活得更久. 研究显示 they are less likely than people who are single or divorced to have cardiovascular disease and less likely to die from heart attacks. 但并不是所有的关系或婚姻都是积极的. 那些有过 幸福的婚姻 更有可能活得更久.

我丈夫和我抽出沙巴足球体育平台来改善我们的关系. We're fortunate to be able to go on vacations together, which is especially hard when you have kids. 我们的孩子一个17岁，一个20岁，所以现在做这件事容易多了.

Aside from romantic relationships, how do you forge other social connections?

如果我们的生活中没有人际关系, 或者我们失去了他们, 有时候，制作新的游戏会很棘手.

加入一个团体是一种方式, whether it's a civic or faith-based group or one built around hobbies or interests in leisure time activities. 团体可以提供一种归属感. They can help you develop new relationships and provide a sense of purpose and meaning. Group members can look out for each other and pitch in when someone needs help with a health or other difficult issue, 即使只是情感上的支持.

这不仅是因为有人可以依靠, 但成为别人可以依赖的人是有益的. 施比受好.

我做了一个 研究 in which we asked people to perform small acts of kindness for their neighbors over a four-week period. 这样做的人报告说他们的孤独感降低了. 这是一件非常简单的事情，任何人都可以做. Sometimes people feel vulnerable reaching out to others to invite them to do something, 因为他们担心自己会拒绝. But helping someone else can be that first step toward making a connection.

在你的生活中，你是如何维持社会关系的?

我结婚了，有两个儿子. 我也是一个姐妹，一个朋友，一个学生的导师和一个同事.

I'm always conscious of not just 研究ing about and writing about relationships, but of remembering that I need to focus on and make time for my own relationships. I am very conscious about doing the things that all the evidence says are good to do.

下面是一些例子:

是自发的. 当我想到一个朋友，我就会伸出手和他们打招呼. 我有时会看到一些东西，让我想起我生命中的某个人, 我会让他们知道这一点的. I try to reach out to friends and family members in these small little ways.

建立传统和惯例. 在我们的互动中有规律的节奏是很重要的. 一群朋友，我们每个月的同一沙巴足球体育平台聚在一起. 我们计划这样做. With other friends, I might have a birthday tradition or a holiday tradition that we always follow. 即使在这些互动之间偶尔聚在一起, 因为这些传统，我们总是可以指望见面的. 如果你要走很远的路去见一个人, 如果你不计划的话, 沙巴足球体育平台飞逝，你已经五年没见过他们了.

光有社交媒体是不够的. Social media may make it easier to keep in touch with friends or facilitate getting together, but it shouldn't be thought of as a replacement for seeing people in person. During the pandemic, especially during lockdown, we spent a lot of time interacting this way. And while it was great to get on video chat with other people, it just wasn't the same. 我们想和其他人在一起. 这感觉就像一个可怜的替代品.

与家人保持亲密. 我是六个孩子中的一个. 我的兄弟姐妹都是本地人，我们每个月都会聚在一起吃晚饭. 对于我整个兄弟姐妹团体来说，我们每年聚会一次. We might see each other more than that, but we always know for sure this will happen.