How Connection can help us through Coronavirus

As Coronavirus ramps up in South Africa, there is a lot of fear and uncertainty. Many people are feeling stressed about how this will affect our lives, our health and our economy. Social distancing can slow down transmission of the virus and flatten the curve for our country, giving health care institutions a chance to cope with the care of those in need.

However, social distancing can have an effect on our well-being. We are social creatures and we need to connect with each other to thrive. Social connection is the biggest source of happiness according to many researchers in the field of positive psychology and loneliness can create health problems. Louise Hawkley, a Senior Research Scientist at the University of Chicago, focuses her research on the role of loneliness and social isolation on health. Her research demonstrates that loneliness is linked with high blood pressure, creating increased risk of death from a stroke or heart attack.

Many people in my online survey for my book Harnessing Stress, said that loneliness was a source of stress for them. One way to combat this is to own a pet. Karen Allen, a research scientist at the University of Buffalo, shows through her research that pets have a beneficial impact on blood pressure. A 2009 study also showed that cat ownership significantly reduced the risk of strokes and heart attacks. Not only does owning a pet offer health benefits and a reduction in loneliness, but they bring a certain joy to our lives that nothing else can.

The company of others is not the only impact of social isolation. Physical touch is also highly beneficial for our well-being. Tiffany Field, a professor in the Departments of Paediatrics, Psychology, and Psychiatry at the University of Miami School of Medicine, studies the impact of touch on neonatal patients. She found that massaging pre-term infants reduced their cortisol levels and improved immune function. The sense of touch influences early development, communication, personal relationships as well as how we fight disease. Touch also has powerful implications for our stress response since it releases oxytocin.

Oxytocin is the neurochemical responsible for developing social bonds and is released during sex and breastfeeding. Its relationship to stress is significant in that it reverses many of the physiological aspects of a fight-or-flight response such as high blood pressure, elevated heart rate, increased inflammation and spikes in cortisol. Oxytocin makes us more generous, induces calm, inhibits addictive behaviours and boosts libido. The world needs the effects of oxytocin as we tackle unprecedented experiences in history.

So, how do we get more of this powerful neurochemical? I encourage you to hug your children and loved ones, assuming that no-one in your household is sick. It is also released when having meaningful conversations with those we trust so it may be a good time to reach out to friends and loved ones for support. Stroking the fur of an animal also releases oxytocin so you can also give your pets a little extra love while at home during the Coronavirus-induced quarantine.

There have been few experiences that are felt on a global level to the extent that this virus is affecting us. These experiences can polarise societies or bring them together. More oxytocin will provide a greater compassion and empathy for everyone who is suffering no matter how – financially, physically or emotionally - as a consequence of this pandemic. I encourage you to lower your stress levels and offer those around you more love and understanding at this time through connection.