Making New Connections During Covid

One of the unfortunate results of the coronavirus has been an epidemic of loneliness. And whether you are looking for a love connection or to just make a new friend — science confirms humans are naturally social creatures. Dr. Emiliana Simon-Thomas of the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley joins to discuss social interactions and offers tips on creating new connections. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to this episode of Here's Something Good, a production
of the Seneca Women Podcast Network and I Heart Radio.
Each day we aspire to bring you the good news,
the silver lining, the glass half full, because there is
good happening in the world everywhere, every day. We just
need to look for and share it. Here's something Good

(00:27):
for Today. One of the unfortunate results of the coronavirus
has been an epidemic of loneliness. Isolation is a culprit
here and no wonder when you consider that of Americans
live by themselves. One study showed that women and of
men said they suffered from COVID loneliness, and loneliness has

(00:51):
been associated with health problems ranging from depression to heart conditions.
After all, humans are social animals. In fact, scientist Matthew
Lee Rman has described what he calls the quote social brain.
When you engage in connections with other people, he found
it enhances your brain's reward center. Perhaps that's why during COVID,
individuals are seeing new ways to reach out to each other.

(01:13):
One example is the uptick in dating platforms. In March,
Hinges messaging on its app increased by while Bumble saw
It's a video chat feature increased by but not everyone
is looking for a love connection. Sometimes we just want
to interact with another human being, make a new friend,
or simply hear another voice besides the one in our head.

(01:35):
Human interaction brings us happiness, and when we're looking for
advice on how to be happy, we often turn to
Dr Emiliana Simon Thomas, the science director at the Greater
Good Science Center at UC Berkeley. Here's what she had
to say. I think in the times of the pandemic,
it's actually been quite challenging for people to form new
relationships or even to connect with acquaintances or people in

(01:59):
their communities who they again don't have a relationship with
yet um And what that means is that there is
even in more urgent needs to be deliberate about making
those opportunities available to ourselves. And what I mean by
that is, if you are in a situation where your

(02:20):
circumstances has shifted in such a way that you find
yourself with more free time, it is a good idea
to dedicate some of that free time to connecting with
people who maybe you don't already know. There are wide
spread societal issues that people are quite concerned with and

(02:41):
we're able to connect with each other online around those
issues and causes in ways that you know, our great
grandparents couldn't do without the Internet. And so maybe there's
a chance to reach out to uh, convey your commitment
to a cause that brings you a sense of meaning

(03:02):
and purpose in your life, something you really feel like
you'd like to contribute to on a similar level, since
we aren't encountering people in the incidental ways that we
did prior to the pandemic, just walking down the street
or going to a cultural events or shopping for groceries. Um,

(03:26):
we still are encountering each other through our social and
physical distance mandates, but we actually have an opportunity to
connect with others vocally and verbally since we can't again
just um interact with them in the ways we may
have in the past. And that means if you are

(03:46):
waiting in mind with someone and you're six feet away
and you both have masks on, it can really help
to look at them, make eye contact and say something
friendly and inviting and inclusive to them, because why not,
right here's a chance to let someone know that you're
trust with the person, that you're part of their community,

(04:09):
that you belong and they belong, and that you have
something in common in the moment that you're both sharing.
It's always so wonderful to hear from Dr Simon Thomas.
Her words are a great reminder that sometimes the smallest
acts and gestures can have the biggest impact. So here's
something good for today. The need to form relationships is

(04:29):
what makes us human, and COVID nineteen doesn't have to
stop us from filling that need. You don't have to
take a health risk to get the human interaction you need.
You just need to be alert to the social cues,
look for opportunities to make a connection and engage, and
remember that many others are just as eager to make
that connection as you are. Thank you for listen, and

(05:00):
please share today's something Good with others in your life.
This is Kim Azzarelli, co author of Fast Forward and
co founder of Seneca Women. To learn more about Seneca Women,
go to Seneca Women dot com or download the Seneca
Women app free in the app store. Care Something Good
is a production of the Seneca Women podcast network and
I Heart Radio. Have a Great Day. For more podcasts

(05:27):
from my heart Radio, check out the i Heart Radio
app Apple podcast, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.