As human beings, our lives are encompassed by our social
connections. This social spectrum ranges from people we consider close and
share our deepest secrets with to acquaintances we come across in our daily
lives. Our inner circle consists of individuals we can rely on for emotional
and tangible support such as our family, partner, or friends. We need to be in
touch with people for our professional lives such as our colleagues and
supervisors. Humans are social beings and our lives depend on social cooperation
in some form or another to keep functioning. This much has been established
without a doubt.

But how does having these social connections actually help
us? Here are 8 ways how a strong support system can help you:

• Social connections help meet our emotional needs. Our
  relationships form the cornerstone of emotionally fulfilling lives. Having
  people to share things with and rely on and care for and be taken care of is
  one of the fundamental needs of being human.
• Social connections help shape our identity. The company we
  keep really does matter. Our social connections help us to form an identity as
  an individual as well as assume the various roles we play in society.
• Social connections boost our mental health. People who don’t
  have much social support are more likely to suffer from mental health disorders
  then people who do. Having close relationships is associated with higher levels
  of subjective wellbeing, increased level of self-confidence and security and
  lower stress levels.
• Social connections help us battle diseases. Genes associated
  with higher levels of connectedness have shown to aid in faster recovery from
  diseases, make our immune systems stronger, improve overall physical health and
  increase our chances of living longer.
• Social connections act as a protective factor against
  suicide. People having social support are less likely to feel lonely or
  misunderstood. Having a strong support system can play a crucial role in
  protecting a person from self-harming and suicidal tendencies.
• Social connections improve feelings of self-worth. People
  having strong social ties are perceived to be more confident, competent, and
  self-assured. This in turn increases an individual’s sense of self-efficacy or
  belief in themselves.
• Social connections improve resilience. Giving and receiving
  support from connections enhances our ability to bounce back after stressful
  situations. Social connections improve how people cope during adversity.
• Social connections can add meaning and purpose to life.
  Meaningful relationships help in satisfying higher-level needs such as growth
  and development. Social connectedness helps us dedicate ourselves to a
  worthwhile cause, not to mention being a worthy goal in itself.

Social connectedness makes us feel like we belong, a strong
and basic need. Success isn’t as meaningful if there aren’t people that you can
share it with. Suffering is lessened when there are people who can empathize
with you. Everything is much more fulfilling when there is an exchange of ideas
and experiences between people who can understand, communicate and express
themselves to each other. Our relationships make living worthwhile.