What We need as Online Users – and How Satisfying our Needs Can Do the Same for Others

Human beings are social animals; we need to connect with each other on a daily basis. There are overwhelming data supporting this, one example that I like to use is John Robbins book “Healthy at 100” from 2006.

Connection

Robbins stresses the importance of social connection and the problem with the “narcissism” generation. Robbins cites an illustrative study published in 1983 by Larry Scherwitz, a psychologist at Baylor University, recorded conversations with 600 men, 1/3 of them with heart disease. Dr. Scherwitz counted the number of times they used the words — I, me, mine — and found that those who used them most often were also most likely to have heart disease and suffer heart attacks.

This shows that we not only need to talk to someone, but we need to listen to someone and connect with them. A study from 1979 of 7,000 people in Alameda, Cali., by Lisa Berkman (epidemiologist at Yale), found that people not connected to others were 3x as likely to die within nine years as those who had strong social ties. The kind of social ties were unimportant.

This is not to say that if we don’t connect in a creative way online it’s detrimental, but as the social community migrates to the web, it will clearly be beneficial for our health to get connected.

Expression

To connect with others we need to voice our opinions. Expressing ourselves gives peace of mind, helps us cope with stress and strengthens self-worth. Our Declaration of Human Rights, which has 30 points, shows the importance of expression, one point being: Freedom of Speech. But as the Swiss psychologist shows us, it’s not just about self-expression but also connection.

Creativity

Creativity helps us express ourselves and connect better with others. According to Arts & Health Foundation, providing an outlet for expressing feelings and emotions improve focus, relieve stress, builds confidence and helps people connect through participation in social and community activities.

Combination

By joining the fight for a cause that you believe in, and representing that cause in a creative way to friends and family to engage them, you can connect with others, express yourself and be creative. This is what fundraising is all about – strengthening social ties, engaging others, and makes you feel good while making others feel good to.