The COVID-19 pandemic has awakened many of us to the importance of human connection for health, happiness, well-being and the betterment of society. Now more than ever, it is important for schools, businesses, community leaders and individuals to invest time in understanding the importance of human connection for individual health and well-being, for the organizations and institutions that house our employees, students and communities, and for the betterment of the society which we are all apart of today and will leave behind for future generations. Decades of research have demonstrated that social connection and social support are powerful positive determinants of mental and physical health, and that social isolation, disconnection, and loneliness have powerful negative consequences for individual health and well-being across the life course.
Yet, social health is often side-lined, de-prioritized, and de-emphasized in our schools, workplaces, and even in our health and social care services. The time is now to ramp up the awareness and knowledge around the importance of human connection to our overall well-being.