Social Connectedness 101: Defining Social Connectedness
Humans are social creatures who have a fundamental human need to connect with others. Fulfilling this need is so important that our level of social connectedness influences nearly every aspect of our lives, including our psychological well-being, physical health, and even how long we live. Social Creatures was founded with the mission to ensure that any individual can socially connect with others, no matter the circumstances.
But what exactly do we mean by “social connectedness” and how does it have such a profound influence on us? To answer these questions and more, we will be publishing a series of brief “Social Connectedness 101” articles, which will explore the science of social connectedness from the perspective of psychologists, neuroscientists, and epidemiologists. In this first installment, we will discuss the definition of social connectedness.
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Defining Social Connectedness
Broadly defined, “social connectedness” (also referred to as “social connection”) is a state of feeling close (or “connected”) to another person or other people [1,2]. This includes feeling cared about by others (and caring about others), as well as a feeling of belonging to a group or community.
To put it simply, social connectedness can be thought of as the opposite of loneliness. But of course, it’s not so simple…
There is no consensus among researchers on the exact definition of social connectedness. Social connectedness is not always clearly or consistently defined, and common measures of social connectedness are not always used across studies. However, a recent scoping review article mapped the conceptual features of the term “social connectedness” as it was described across many research studies [1]. From that, they derived the following definition of social connectedness:
“The opposite of loneliness, a subjective evaluation of the extent to which one has meaningful, close, and constructive relationships with others (i.e., individuals, groups, and society).”
An important component of this definition is that social connectedness is “subjective” and therefore based upon an individual’s perception of connection. This is distinct from “objective” features of an individual’s social environment, such as the size of their social network or how the network functions to provide them with social support (i.e., any aid, resources, or emotional support).
This means that one’s perception of their social connectedness may not necessarily mirror their actual social network. An individual can be surrounded by others yet feel lonely, or they can be isolated from others but still feel social connectedness [3,4]. This comes as a bit of good news as we face unprecedented levels of social distancing throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Social distancing does not need to equate to a loss of social connectedness.
Having said that, our actual social network does oftentimes influence our feelings of social connectedness. For instance, having fewer social contacts, living alone, or experiencing strained relationships can all come as barriers to social connectedness, and have been identified as significant risk factors for loneliness [5,6].
Thus, the relations between actual social encounters and how they are ultimately perceived to influence an individual’s feelings of social connectedness are complex [7], and can even differ due to individual differences in personality traits, preferences, and prior experiences [8]. Take for example introverted individuals, who prefer lower levels of social involvement. Their feelings of social connectedness emerge (at least in part) as a function of this preferred level of social involvement, such that fewer social encounters are needed to produce adequate feelings of social connectedness than they would for more extraverted individuals [9].
The bottom line is that social connectedness is born out of an individual’s unique social needs and the opportunity to regularly meet those needs through their social network.
We will more thoroughly explore the various subjective and objective “determinants” of social connectedness, ways to promote social connectedness, and more, through the continuation of this “Social Connectedness 101” series.
Until then, happy connecting.
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If you are feeling lonely, you are not alone. Text HOME to 741741 if you need to talk with someone.
In-text References
[1] O'Rourke, H. M., & Sidani, S. (2017). Definition, determinants, and outcomes of social connectedness for older adults: A scoping review. Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 43(7), 43-52.
[2] Haslam, C., Cruwys, T., Haslam, S. A., & Jetten, J. (2015). Social connectedness and health. Encyclopaedia of Geropsychology, 2015, 46-1.
[3] Cacioppo, J. T., Fowler, J. H., & Christakis, N. A. (2009). Alone in the crowd: The structure and spread of loneliness in a large social network. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 97,977–991.
[4] Holt-Lunstad, J. (2018). Fostering social connection in the workplace. American Journal of Health Promotion, 32, 1307-1312.
[5] Ryerson, L. M. (2017). Innovations in social connectedness. Public Policy & Aging Report, 27(4), 124-126.
[6] Holt-Lunstad, J., Smith, T.B., & Layton, J.B. (2010). Social relationships and mortality risk: a meta-analytic review. PLoS Medicine, 7(7), e1000316.
[7] Dias, A., Geard, N., Campbell, P. T., Warr, D., & McVernon, J. (2018). Quantity or quality? Assessing relationships between perceived social connectedness and recorded encounters. PloS One, 13(11), e0208083.
[8] Cacioppo, J. T., Hawkley, L. C., Ernst, J. M., Burleson, M., Berntson,G. G., Nouriani, B., & Spiegel, D. (2006). Loneliness within a nomological net: An evolutionary perspective. Journal of Research in Personality, 40,1054–1085
[9] Cacioppo, S., Capitanio, J. P., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2014). Toward a neurology of loneliness. Psychological Bulletin, 140(6), 1464.