How Important is Social Capital?

Social networks. New scientific evidence suggests it’s one of the most important sources of happiness. Our connections with others shape who we are and is a prediction of our satisfaction with life. Evolution has made us good at connecting with others and given us a desire to form those connections. You can instantly see the importance of connection in the bond that forms between a mother and her new born child, and in the negative effects when that bond is not formed for whatever reason. Connection with others is what gives us meaning and purpose.

What researchers have discovered is that overall, the happiest people tend to have rich and satisfying relationships and that points to evidence that social connections lead to high levels of happiness. That doesn’t mean that you can’t be happy when you’re alone, and as an introvert and can confirm that. It’s just that, even for us introverts, too much time alone does not contribute to your happiness, another fact I can confirm.

As a child, our community, our tribe, our social connections, play a big part in who we become. And again research has show that kids who did well in school and those who had a rich network of connections were happier as adults than those who felt alienated from friends. However, being more socially connected was a more significant predictor than academic success of later happiness. That’s not to suggest that academic achievement is unimportant to later happiness—it just does not predict happiness as strongly as social connections and relationships. That said, academic success can foster social connectedness and in that case, academic achievement becomes twice as strong a predictor of adult happiness. So you see, it’s a complicated subject.

So what are the effects of social isolation? It turns out that isolation has all kinds of negative impacts on health and well-being, both in a psychological (as we have seen in some horrific news reports) and a physical sense. People who are isolated can feel depressed, lonely, untrusting or fearful of others and have low self-esteem. They show more inflammation in their bodies, a compromised immune system, low energy levels and have trouble sleeping. Those who are socially isolated have a shorter lifespan.

So maybe all this has you wondering: “How strong are my social connections?” The Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley developed this social capital quiz to help you answer that question. Social Capital is the web of relationships in our lives and the benefits we receive from those connections. When you complete the survey, you are provided with the results as well as ways you can increase your social capital further. My results suggest I have high social capital both offline and online and still provided ideas to increase it.

By the way, the Greater Goods Science Center at UC Berkeley offers a course called The Science of Happiness, which is free unless you want to earn continuing education units. I took this course a few years back and I highly recommend it to everyone. It takes several weeks to complete, and it’s well worth it.