Staying Social, All Year Long

Oct 10, 2019

Everyone can agree friendship makes life better. Now science proves it, too.

 After a busy summer, fall has the tendency to creep up on us. Summer enraptures us with its long days of sunlight, trips to see family and visit new places; evenings spent on the porch watching the sunset, eating out under the stars. Our warmest season is an easy time to socialize and be active, to get outside and spend time with people we enjoy, doing things we love. But when cooler weather comes and daylight hours lessen, many of us struggle with the motivation to make the most of outdoor spaces and social opportunities like we do in summer.

If science has anything to say about it though, it’s in our best interest to bundle up, find that enjoyable cool-weather activity, and savor the brisk outdoors with a friend, partner, or neighbor. That’s because research indicates socializing and staying actively engaged with others correlates to better cognitive health as we age. The saying, use it or lose it comes to mind, imploring us as we grow older to keep our minds sharp through social interaction and activity that requires we tap into memories, nuanced emotions, wit, banter, and critical thinking as we discuss and explore new places—mental and physical—with others.

“Here, we’ve found that social contact, in middle age and late-life, appears to lower the risk of dementia. This finding could feed into strategies to reduce everyone’s risk of developing dementia, adding yet another reason to promote connected communities and find ways to reduce isolation and loneliness.”

Work can be yet another opportunity for us as we grow older to stay social and mentally engaged, to experience that essential human feeling: purpose. Companies like ours provide not only a place for veteran professionals to engage their critical faculties and experience connection, but also offer flexibility and remote location so that employees can work efficiently, while preserving time to get outside, take that invigorating walk with a friend, and soak up the beauty of their surroundings as they stay social, all year long.

How do you find yourself transitioning your activity and social life through the seasons? What experiences and social activities to you enjoy most in the fall?

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