International Day of Happiness 2024: Is your social fitness in place?

The term that describes how you build and nurture your social relationships, in an indicator of how happy you can be.

There's so much that continues to be written about what makes people happy. For some, it's spending time with their kids, a hug from a loved one, moments with pets, sitting down to watch a long-awaited movie, finally heading out on a vacation and so much more. Each person finds their own happy vibe and their own catalyst to making them smile. But while we strive to make ourselves happy, staying in that zone is just as important. On International Day of Happiness 2024, here's looking at how the network you build and sustain, helps you thrive. Take a look at ‘social fitness’ that describes this and how it can fit into your life…

HOW IT CAME ABOUT
The longest study ever conducted on human happiness by Harvard has thrown light on how a single element can make people thrive - good relationships! It found how this kept people healthier and happier. director Robert Waldinger, who co-wrote the book, ‘The Good Life and how to Live it’ with Marc Schulz, coined the term ‘social fitness' to describe this.

Forging and nurturing a bond with friends, acquaintances and colleagues brings about warmth and happiness (Shutterstock)

To explain it simply, once you establish a connection with someone, you need to put in effort to see it grow. It does run on autopilot. This exercise in helping connections build and thrive is a step towards social fitness. And it's as important as chasing physical fitness at a gym.

SOCIAL CONNECTIONS OPEN A WINDOW INTO WELL-BEING
Social fitness encompasses a wide variety of things - from simply taking a walk with your pals to embarking on a trek with a travel group, a tea break with co-workers, a potluck dinner with relatives, socialising at the gym, visiting neighbours or grabbing coffee with the gang at your favourite café.

Social fitness covers a variety of activities that you can do (Shutterstock)

Each activity poses its own feel-good factor, offering a sense of the known that helps banish fears, stress, anxiety and physical fatigue. Whether you manage just one or multiple relationships, it all adds to the happiness quota in your universe.