6 Feet of Separation: Staying Social, Healthy and Happy in the Time of Physical Distancing

How can we do it better?

Let’s start with the name

The idea of “social distancing” is kind of a paradox. In these uncertain times, when we absolutely need each other more than ever, we’re
expected to live, work and learn apart?

“It’s all in how you frame it,” says 98point6 physician Michael Grabinski, MD, MPH. “That’s why the World Health Organization (WHO)
recommends that we refer to it as ‘physical distancing’ vs. ‘social distancing.’ Because while the goal is to prevent physical transmission of the virus, the hope is that people will remain connected socially—and we need that more than ever right now.”

Distancing 2.0

Though overuse of technology has been associated with feelings of isolation and loneliness, technology is now the bridge to keeping us
connected—to everything from essential medical care to our workplaces and classrooms to fulfilling social lives—all of which will empower us to get through this with strength and positivity.

Staying social matters

It’s easy to fall into a rut physically, mentally and emotionally during this era of COVID-19. “One way to care for yourself and enhance your
overall well-being,” says Dr. Grabinski, “is through meaningful interactions that support each other and our own desire to still feel human.” The corresponding health benefits are backed by research. Some examples:

• The Harvard Study of Adult Development, one of the world’s longest studies on health and happiness, has found that participants who were the most satisfied in their relationships at age 50 were the healthiest at age 80.⁶
• The “Roseto Effect” refers to famous research done in the town of Roseto, PA, where a small community of Italian immigrants whose low heart attack rates from 1955 to 1963 mystified researchers when compared to Americans with similar risk factors. The statistics, however, began to shift towards the higher national average in later decades as the immigrants moved further from family and community. The conclusion? Strong community ties had a health protective benefit.⁷
• A 2018 study from the European Society of Cardiology found that loneliness is bad for the heart and a strong predictor of premature death.
  It’s worth noting that the higher risk, which impacts both men and women, is associated with feeling lonely, not necessarily living alone.⁸ Bottom line: the mind is a powerful force over matter.