{"id":8424,"date":"2024-09-03T09:00:36","date_gmt":"2024-09-03T01:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/asiamd.com\/?p=8424"},"modified":"2025-07-29T11:38:19","modified_gmt":"2025-07-29T11:38:19","slug":"the-benefits-of-social-networks-on-longevity-the-blue-zone-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asiamd.bqubetech.com\/id\/2024\/09\/03\/the-benefits-of-social-networks-on-longevity-the-blue-zone-way\/","title":{"rendered":"The Benefits of Social Networks on Longevity: The Blue Zone Way"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to a set of longevity habits termed<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bluezones.com\/2016\/11\/power-9\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Blue Zone Power 9<\/span><\/a> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">practices, Blue Zone residents who formed social circles, also known as a Right Tribe, which encouraged positive lifestyle habits are likely to live longer and happier. The concept of a Right Tribe in the context of Blue Zones refers to the social networks and relationships that support healthy behaviour and longevity. In this article, let\u2019s take a look at how the loneliness epidemic is becoming a global public health concern and how having a social support group benefits us.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/AsiaMDWhatsAppEN\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b><i>Follow us on our WhatsApp channel for the latest updates: https:\/\/bit.ly\/AsiaMDWhatsAppEN\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2>The Loneliness Epidemic is Bigger Than We Think<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to the World Health Organization (WHO), <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/teams\/social-determinants-of-health\/demographic-change-and-healthy-ageing\/social-isolation-and-loneliness\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">social isolation and loneliness are<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">widespread<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, with an estimated 1 in 4 older people experiencing social isolation and between 5 and 15 per cent of adolescents experiencing loneliness. The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ahajournals.org\/doi\/full\/10.1161\/JAHA.122.026493\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">American Heart Association<\/span><\/a> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">reports that those who were socially isolated were more likely to experience depression, as well as poorer brain and heart health.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recognising the massive scale of the detrimental effects of loneliness, the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/global-development\/2023\/nov\/16\/who-declares-loneliness-a-global-public-health-concern\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">WHO has<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">declared loneliness to be a pressing global health threat<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with the US surgeon general saying that its mortality effects are equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. An international commission has also been launched to tackle the loneliness problem, exacerbated by the recent COVID-19 pandemic.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Sense of Belonging and Community<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A sense of belonging and community is a fundamental aspect of the social fabric in Blue Zones, contributing significantly to the well-being and longevity of their inhabitants. Being part of a social group empowers people to feel included and accepted within their social groups. This acceptance helps individuals feel valued and understood, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.apa.org\/pubs\/journals\/releases\/psp-pspp0000265.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">reinforcing their<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">sense of identity and self-worth<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2>Accountability and Encouragement<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Blue Zone residents connect with like-minded peers who can support healthy, positive behaviours as well as provide emotional support to one another through the brevities of life. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC3150158\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Studies<\/span><\/a> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">have shown that being in a group or having strong social connections benefits mental and physical health, bringing about a generally positive outlook in life and enhancing overall well-being.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Making Friends; Creating Your Tribe<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are some ways that we all can increase our social connection &#8211; don\u2019t be shy and give it a try!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Volunteer your time at causes you believe in\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Join a book club at the library, a morning walk group at the park or exercise group <\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sign up for classes to enrich yourself and make new friends\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Get started on a new hobby and join online and in-person hobby groups\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Join a faith-based community if you are already practising<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Participate in your local community events\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"p1\" style=\"text-align: right;\"><i>This article was produced solely for the purpose of healthcare and medical knowledge. Not all innovations are available or approved for clinical use. AsiaMD may receive financial or non-financial sponsorship from the companies or institutions involved in these innovations. However, AsiaMD does not endorse any specific product or services in the article, in addition to the Terms and Conditions for the use of our AsiaMD.com website.\u00a0Please consult your healthcare professional if you need more information.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>According to a set of longevity habits termed Blue Zone Power 9 practices, Blue Zone residents who formed social circles, also known as a Right Tribe, which encouraged positive lifestyle habits are likely to live longer and happier.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":8453,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sfsi_plus_gutenberg_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_show_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_type":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_alignemt":"","sfsi_plus_gutenburg_max_per_row":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[167,170],"tags":[284,595,723,747,1028,1029,1184,1262,1325,1327,1663,1665,1813,1878],"class_list":["post-8424","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","category-medical-wellness","tag-blue-zone","tag-healthcare","tag-longevity","tag-medical-wellness","tag-social-connection","tag-social-networks","tag-wellness","tag-1262","tag-1325","tag-1327","tag-1663","tag-1665","tag-1813","tag-1878"],"translation":{"provider":"WPGlobus","version":"3.0.0","language":"id","enabled_languages":["en","zh","ko","ja","mn","vi","ta","th","ms","km","id","my","hi"],"languages":{"en":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":true},"zh":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":true},"ko":{"title":false,"content":false,"excerpt":false},"ja":{"title":false,"content":false,"excerpt":false},"mn":{"title":false,"content":false,"excerpt":false},"vi":{"title":false,"content":false,"excerpt":false},"ta":{"title":false,"content":false,"excerpt":false},"th":{"title":false,"content":false,"excerpt":false},"ms":{"title":false,"content":false,"excerpt":false},"km":{"title":false,"content":false,"excerpt":false},"id":{"title":false,"content":false,"excerpt":false},"my":{"title":false,"content":false,"excerpt":false},"hi":{"title":false,"content":false,"excerpt":false}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/asiamd.bqubetech.com\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8424","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/asiamd.bqubetech.com\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/asiamd.bqubetech.com\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asiamd.bqubetech.com\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asiamd.bqubetech.com\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8424"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/asiamd.bqubetech.com\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8424\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9478,"href":"https:\/\/asiamd.bqubetech.com\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8424\/revisions\/9478"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asiamd.bqubetech.com\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8453"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/asiamd.bqubetech.com\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8424"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asiamd.bqubetech.com\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8424"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asiamd.bqubetech.com\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8424"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}