A groundbreaking redefinition of what it means to be healthy that introduces the need for social health – the part of wellbeing that comes from feeling connected – to truly flourish.
Exercise. Eat a balanced diet. Go to therapy. Most wellness advice is focused on achieving and maintaining good physical and mental health. But Harvard-trained social scientist and pioneering social health expert Kasley Killam reveals that this approach is missing a vital component: human connection.
Relationships not only make us happier, but also are critical to our overall health and longevity. Research shows that people with a strong sense of belonging are 2.6 times more likely to report good or excellent health. Perhaps even more astonishingly, people who lack social support are up to 53% more likely to die from any cause. Yet social health has been overlooked and underappreciated – until now.
Just as we exercise our physical muscles, we can strengthen our social muscles. Weaving together cutting-edge science, mindset shifts, and practical wisdom, Killam offers the first methodology for how to be socially healthy. An antidote to the loneliness epidemic and an inspiring manifesto for seeing wellbeing as not only physical and mental, but also social, The Art and Science of Connection is a handbook for thriving.
In this essential book, you will:
– Learn a simple yet powerful framework to understand, evaluate, and bolster your social health.
– Discover the exact strategy or habit you need, as well as research-backed tips, to cultivate and sustain meaningful connection now and throughout your life.
– Glean actionable insights to develop a sense of community in your neighbourhood, at work, and online from a spirited group of neighbours in Paris, the CEO of a major healthcare company, and an artificially intelligent chatbot.
– Get an insider look at the innovative ways that doctors, teachers, entrepreneurs, architects, government leaders, and everyday people are catalysing a movement toward a more socially healthy society.
The Art and Science of Connection will transform the way you think about each interaction with a friend, family member, coworker, or neighbour, and give you the tools you need to live a more connected and healthy life – whether you are an introvert or extrovert, if you feel stretched thin, and no matter your age or background. Along the way, Killam will reveal how a university student, a newlywed, a working professional, and a retired widow overcame challenges to thrive through connection-and how you can, too.
Exercise. Eat a balanced diet. Go to therapy. Most wellness advice is focused on achieving and maintaining good physical and mental health. But Harvard-trained social scientist and pioneering social health expert Kasley Killam reveals that this approach is missing a vital component: human connection.
Relationships not only make us happier, but also are critical to our overall health and longevity. Research shows that people with a strong sense of belonging are 2.6 times more likely to report good or excellent health. Perhaps even more astonishingly, people who lack social support are up to 53% more likely to die from any cause. Yet social health has been overlooked and underappreciated – until now.
Just as we exercise our physical muscles, we can strengthen our social muscles. Weaving together cutting-edge science, mindset shifts, and practical wisdom, Killam offers the first methodology for how to be socially healthy. An antidote to the loneliness epidemic and an inspiring manifesto for seeing wellbeing as not only physical and mental, but also social, The Art and Science of Connection is a handbook for thriving.
In this essential book, you will:
– Learn a simple yet powerful framework to understand, evaluate, and bolster your social health.
– Discover the exact strategy or habit you need, as well as research-backed tips, to cultivate and sustain meaningful connection now and throughout your life.
– Glean actionable insights to develop a sense of community in your neighbourhood, at work, and online from a spirited group of neighbours in Paris, the CEO of a major healthcare company, and an artificially intelligent chatbot.
– Get an insider look at the innovative ways that doctors, teachers, entrepreneurs, architects, government leaders, and everyday people are catalysing a movement toward a more socially healthy society.
The Art and Science of Connection will transform the way you think about each interaction with a friend, family member, coworker, or neighbour, and give you the tools you need to live a more connected and healthy life – whether you are an introvert or extrovert, if you feel stretched thin, and no matter your age or background. Along the way, Killam will reveal how a university student, a newlywed, a working professional, and a retired widow overcame challenges to thrive through connection-and how you can, too.
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Reviews
In this important book, Killam does something new and significant by adding the concept of social health to our current focus on physical and mental health. She shows us how connections and community are an essential aspect of health
THE ART AND SCIENCE OF CONNECTION is more than a book. It's a call to action for our times, reminding us to nurture what is at the heart of human existence and that we should value most: our relationships with one another. In an age of loneliness, dislocation, discrimination, and division, Kasley Killam has articulated something we all intrinsically understand, but which increasingly few of us practice: that sharing time, experiences, and community is what life is about. Most impressively, Killam brings together decades of research, science, and learning into an elegant phrase and accessible prose that will rally people to the universal cause of how we all inhabit this world together, and how we do so meaningfully. And, perhaps most importantly, she provides inspiring examples of what good connection looks like - and practical tools to help us all feel part of our changing world, rather than left behind by it. I hope leaders, neighbours, community members, and individuals everywhere will read and learn from this book, and pass its lessons down the generations
Social connections are the key to sustainable flourishing in an uncertain and changing world. Killam not only accurately diagnoses our human need for connection, but also offers concrete solutions for creating better conditions for global social health so that we can flourish together
A riveting blend of science and story that will teach you countless innovative ways to build a greater community for yourself and others. A culture-changing book
This book is a much-needed corrective for humanity's trajectory, guiding us from overemphasis on selfhood toward a socially healthy future. THE ART AND SCIENCE OF CONNECTION offers clear insights from research and practical strategies for strengthening bonds throughout the lifecourse. For leaders in positions to shape policy, this book is a catalyst for initiatives that will advance progress, innovation, and world peace
Kasley Killam has had a lifelong passion for helping people build social connection and in THE ART AND SCIENCE OF CONNECTION, she turns her research and wisdom into a manual to help you find your people!
As a buttoned-up Brit I thought I would hate this book for its upfront approach to reaching out. I loved it! This inspiring read wakes us up with new concepts - social health, social muscles, social fitness gyms - which may seem strange at first but are profound, practical, and urgently needed by us all