Live Whole Health #335: The Power of Connection

Having friends can help you live longer

A study of over three million people found that strong social connections lower the risk of early death by as much as 30%. This is a greater effect than many people expected, In fact, the U.S. Surgeon General has noted that the health risk of poor social connections can be as damaging to our health as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day. A 2025 global report found that loneliness is linked to an estimated 100 deaths every hour.

Relationships can make you healthier

Building relationships strengthens us. The Harvard Study of Adult Development, one of the longest-running studies of adult life, has followed participants since 1938 and is now tracking a second generation of families. Its central finding, repeated across more than 80 years of data, is that people with stronger family and community ties are happier, healthier, and live longer than those without them.

Small moments lead to stronger connections

One of the best things you can do for your health may be surprisingly simple: call a friend you haven’t talked to in a while, catch a ball game with a cousin, or grab coffee with a neighbor. Small moments like these can make a larger difference in your well-being than you may realize.

In this 7-minute video, Dr. Tosha Ellis guides you through a movement practice centered around that sense of social connection. Perhaps it’ll be the first step in focusing on and nurturing your relationships.

How relationships can support the management of chronic pain

In this episode of the Whole Health and Pain Management podcast, Dr. Steve Hunt discusses how relationships can be challenging when someone has chronic pain. Chronic pain often leads to isolation and the feeling that no one can understand, while family members can be confused or alienated. Family members may do too much, too little, or provide the support and nourishment Veterans need to heal and regain a higher level of functioning. In this podcast. Dr. Hunt discusses how Veterans with chronic pain and their friends and family members can support each other and improve these important relationships.