3319: Design Smarter: Your Home as a Health Asset by Ryan Frederick of Here.Life on Environment and Wellbeing

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This is Optimal Health Daily.

Design Smarter, your home as a health asset by Ryan Frederick of here.life and I'm Dr.

Neal, your host and narrator.

Hey there, happy Sunday and welcome to Optimal Health Daily or OHD, where I read to you from

some of the most popular health and fitness blogs online.

Alright, let's get right to today's post as we optimize your life.

Design Smarter, your home as a health asset by Ryan Frederick of here.life.

I recently caught up with a friend who relocated to the West Coast.

She's originally from the Midwest.

She and her husband did a lot of research before their move, climate, access to the outdoors

and availability to centers of employment, among others, all lined up.

She even took the proactive measure of meeting some of the people in her target in neighborhood.

People loved living there.

Several years into their move, however, she's found it hard to make deeper friendships.

Those around her don't prioritize relationships the way she does.

She and her husband fit in in a number of ways, but they're missing a sense of belonging.

This one element may be enough for them to search for a new home.

That is belonging.

There is no widely accepted definition for belonging.

According to social psychology, belonging is an innate motivational drive to form and

maintain positive emotional bonds with others.

However, despite the definition, belonging does not always involve the presence of other

people, as one can feel a sense of belonging to a place, such as a specific urban or bucolic

setting.

Forne Brown defines belonging, quote, as being accepted for you, fitting in is being accepted

for being like everyone else, and quote, belonging as a human need and its benefits.

Our brains are wired for belonging, starting before we're born.

A fetus's heart literally beats in tandem with the mothers.

Further, bio-behavioral synchrony is a process where hormones and brain activity of a baby

mirror that of the caregiver.

These early moments create a foundation for the capacity to connect with others.

Scholars deem belonging to be as important as our need for love, and as necessary for

survival as food and water.

The benefits of having a sense of belonging are significant and multifaceted.

Individuals who experience belonging are happier, healthier, and more resilient.

People with a sense of belonging benefit from bolstered immune systems which protect

them from stress and disease.

Based on a 2021 national report, the belonging barometer, the state of belonging in America,

funded by the Walmart Foundation, and the Omajar Network, and authored by OverZero and

the Center for Inclusion and Belonging, belonging in the US has room for improvement.

In the areas of family and friends, approximately 60% of people express the sense of belonging.

However, in areas of work, nation, and local community, only 36%, 32% and 26% respectively

expressed to belong.

Implications of low sense of belonging within communities.

A low sense of belonging within our local communities is a concern, and one that was raised

decades ago by Harvard sociologist Robert Putnam in his book, Bowling Alone, Collapse and

Revival of American Community.

Braying of our social fabric has implications at the individual and societal level.

As one example, people with a strong sense of belonging have a much greater trust of their

neighbors, local residents, local government, and other Americans than those with a low sense

of belonging.

A lack of trust with others around us makes it difficult to forge relationships and help

each other when necessary.

As we look to find our place in sense of belonging, this search can be particularly difficult

if most members of most communities don't have a sense of belonging.

In such cases, welcoming others is less of a priority as is a shared responsibility

and opportunity to improve their local communities.

It may be worthwhile to work harder in our search to identify places where we truly belong,

and others have a strong sense of belonging too.

At the same time, the results from the report represent an opportunity.

It suggests particularly for those who do have a strong sense of belonging, incidentally

such people are very satisfied with where they live, for each of us to enhance the broader

sense of belonging in our communities.

This can come through including a broader set of people and communal activities and gatherings,

particularly in ways that give more people a voice in our local communities.

Such actions could increase the sense of belonging throughout the community and attract others

that wish to be weaved into this culture.

And overlook belonging.

Belonging is complex, but critical to life satisfaction and healthy longevity.

For some, like environmentalist and poet Wendell Berry, a strong sense of belonging is felt

through physical place.

However, for most of us, it is more strongly expressed through our emotional connection

to others, opportunities to be our authentic selves and agency in creating an environment

that we value.

It can be challenging to find a place that meets each of these dimensions, but it may ultimately

be more valuable than weather, access to desired amenities and cost of living.

Don't overlook belonging, or else extensive efforts to find the perfect place may leave

you unsatisfied and initiating another move.

You just listen to the post titled, Design Smarter, Your Home as a Health Asset by Ryan

Fredrick of Hear.life and I'll be right back with my commentary.

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greetings, lightsaber clashing, the toilets on tower of terror dropping, fancy flying, space

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Dr. Niel here with my commentary.

This post reminds me of the results of one of the longest studies conducted in the US,

the Harvard study of adult development.

The researchers wanted to know what helps people thrive and live their best lives.

The study began way back in 1938 and continued for 80 years.

And what the researchers found was very much aligned with one of the main takeaways from

today's post and today's post author Ryan Frederick said that for most of us, a sense

of belonging is expressed through our emotional connection to others opportunities to be our

authentic selves and agency and creating an environment that we value.

And here's what the authors of the Harvard study of adult development found.

Strong relationships with others lead to health and happiness more so than a lot of other

lifestyle behaviors.

So again, as Ryan said in today's post, let's not overlook that sense of belonging.

And maybe we move it up as a priority, you know, behind diet, exercise and stress management,

of course.

Alright, that'll do it for today's episode.

Thank you so much for being here.

Thank you for sharing this show with someone and listening every day.

I hope you have a great rest of your weekend and I'll see you back here tomorrow where

your optimal life awaits.