The number of people who identify as lonely has doubled from 20 percent to 40 percent in the past 30 years. In that same time, the average number of close friends that people identify having has gone from three to one. Having weak social ties is as harmful to health as alcoholism. It’s also equivalent to smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day. Thus, having techniques to effectively communicate is essential to our mental and physical health.
Source: Forbes, April 19, 2018. Link.
Great relationships are the magnifier of joy. Life is a crazy ride, but if we learn to communicate and connect, it’s a heck of a lot more fun.
INSIGHTS: Try being interested in others rather than trying to be interesting to others. We find people who are interested in us to be interesting to us.