week 2 post 2

The function of social connection and empathy is something that has astounding effects on the overall well-being of people. The simple touch of hands or exchange of glances is enough to formulate an opinion, or understanding of a person or situation. In the modern world, many people suffer from loneliness, and the human interaction which they do receive is often superficial. This is problematic because people are biologically wired to connect, care, and depend on other people. While different gene patterns may allow a person to be more or less independent or emotional, human interaction is still integral to the health of every person. To put that into perspective, preterm newborns, who received 3, 15-minute touch sessions for 5-10 days, gained 47 percent more weight than babies who got standard medical treatment. That goes to show how important something as small as human touch can be, especially for babies. However, babies are not the only people who lack this interaction in their lives. In western countries, people tend not to exchange very many tangible interactions. For example, researchers found in one study that in a cafe in great Britain when friends met up to talk at they did not touch at all, and in the united states the friends touched only two times when they were greatly enthused. However, in places such as Central America in a similar situation, these friends touched up to 180 times and showed more signs of empathy and happiness. One other study showed that when there was a physical barrier between people, and only their arms could touch, people were able to gauge what emotion people were showing through their touches relatively accurately, and for sure more accurately than when they tried to gauge emotion purely off of looks. This deprivation of simple interactions such as this or meaningful conversations where people truly tune in and listen has to lead to an overall lack of happiness. Humans are mammals, and their roots are quite primal, so it is no surprise that researchers can find similarities between apes, and humans and apes tend to exhibit high, accurate, reactions to emotion, and tend to show happier tendencies because they are so socially interconnected.
This is why it is especially important in the modern, western world, to seek out relationships and social interactions because of no matter if someone is an extravert or an introvert, all people need this interaction to flourish. It not only allows that singular person to feel happy, but it also boosts the happiness and even oxytocin levels in the entire community which surrounds them. It is essential for every person to understand why they attach to people, their good and bad habits, their levels of gratitude and understanding because it is a crucial tool when working with people and understanding the happiness of oneself. It is also super important for people to have diverse friends and relationships, outside of one's typical circle. Whether that be someone of a different sexual orientation, gender, race, ethnicity, the list goes on and on; it is so important to have those relationships. This is important because it allows people to understand different peoples, mannerisms, backgrounds, and struggles so that they can be open to many perspectives. However, an essential part of doing this is that people do not exclude people of their own orientation because that adds yet another harmful division between people. This is a vital part of society which is so undervalued in this day and age; however, that also reflects through the widespread negativity, division, and hopelessness which has become very apparent.