The Importance Of Having A Community
- Daniel Antcliff
- May 29, 2023
- 8 min read
Updated: Dec 16, 2025
"The need for connection and community is primal, as fundamental as the need for air, water, and food." ― Dean Ornish
Introduction | Traditional Purpose | Contemporary Meaning | Health Impact | Social Isolation | Own Community | Final Thoughts | Takeaway Points | References | Disclaimer
Introduction
Humans naturally look for closeness and connection with other people. Creating social relationships and being a part of a community satisfy our innate need for belonging. When we fit in, we flourish. A supportive community improves our lives and is gbeneficialfor our health. The eoppositeis true for loneliness and social isolation. Building a local or online community with our time and effort can be a transformative experience.
The traditional purpose of community
Communities and relationships between people have developed since the beginning of time itohelp people survive. People gathered and coexisted because, when they worked together as a group, they were better able to overcome difficulties and obstacles and develop a more effective way of life. Being a part of a community also develops each individual's dependence on others. People assisted one another while sharing various tasks and jobs, such as farming, hunting, construction, etc. The community protected human existence in that way. In 1964, an English poet, John Donne, wrote a poem titled "No Man is an Island"[1], which quoted:
"No man is an island,
Entire of itself;
Every man is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main."
In this piece, the author acknowledges the inherent need for belonging in humans. To survive and prosper, we need the people around us. Complete isolation from our friends and family has never allowed us to function well. Isolation does not promote personal or career success or beneficial health.
The contemporary meaning of community
Communities originally formed out of a need for shared resources and protection, but these motivations have given way over time to more abstract ones rooted in shared ideals, religion, political belief, behavioral commonalities, and shared pursuits. The collective "state of mind" of a community began to have a greater impact on its members' way of life than did the need to adapt to a harsh environment. Additionally, since the advent of the internet and the digital age, which made it easier for people to connect, proximity has become less of a barrier when trying to fidentifya group of like-minded individuals. It has made it so much easier to bond with people who live far away in different cities, countries, and time zones. Both offline and online communities enhance our existence. Whichever one we choose, having a close-knit group of friends with whom we have forged a deep and meaningful connection is essential for our success in the world.
The impact of community on health
Community membership has many health benefits, including social, psychological, and physical. Strong social relationships, such as those between family members, friends, and neighbors, as well as support from religious and other organizations, have been linked with improved health outcomes among populations. Research has found that strong social ties can:
Social Health
Mental Health
Physical Health
motivate mobility among the elderly[5]
help initiate and maintain physical activity[12]
benefit overall health[13]
decrease mortality[14]
improve immune function[15]
reduce the risk of cardiovascular responses to stress[17] [11]
reduce the susceptibility to upper respiratory viruses[18]
benefit proper child development, including the immune, metabolic, and autonomic nervous systems[11]
Social isolation and loneliness
In 2018, the Kaiser Family Foundation and The Economist conducted a loneliness survey of high-income countries.
"It found that 9% of adults in Japan, 22% in America, and 23% in Britain always or often felt lonely, lacked companionship, or felt left out or isolated. People crave a sense of belonging. And yet we focus on how to look better, exercise efficiently, and work effectively, often neglecting to take the necessary steps to build and sustain social ties."[19]
People frequently experience loneliness and isolation, especially when residing in a large city. It seems counterintuitive because how can a person feel lonely in a crowded urban area? The speed of city life and the expectations we have of it play a significant role in this issue. The pace of life in the city is typically brisk. People frequently concentrate almost robotically on completing daily chores, checking items off to-do lists, and pursuing their professional, academic, and personal goals. They are unable to balance work and life. People often neglect and push the development of purposeful, meaningful connections with others to the back of their minds. Because many individuals fail to connect with those around them, cities are filled with people who don't know their own neighbors and never belong to any community.
How to build your own community
Finding a community of like-minded individuals can improve not only your quality of life but also your health. Building genuine connections with people who share our interests and values gives us a sense of belonging, enriches our lives, and provides us with a support system.
Building an offline local community
If you are looking to establish connections with people in your neighborhood, there are a couple of ideas and steps that you can take.
Take the time to get to know your neighbors. Learn about their interests and try to find commonalities. Be open-minded, interested, and respectful.
Based on your interests as well as those of those around you, you can encourage a collective activity, such as dog walks, a playgroup for your kids, a book club, movie nights, etc.
Be helpful if one of your neighbors needs assistance. Providing assistance is beneficial and fencouragestrust and gratitude.
If there is a church, community center, charitable organization, or any other place where people gather regularly in your neighborhood, volunteering is a gsuitableoption to meet new people from your community.
If you are a parent, you can try getting involved in your child's kindergarten or school.
If you have skills that you could teach others, such as gardening, painting, sports, etc., offer to share them with people around you.
You can also connect with people by joining existing groups of people who share the same interests, political views, and ideologies. Find out if such gatherings, meetings, or clubs take place in your neighborhood.
Building an online community
The internet has made it possible for people to communicate with one another despite physical distances of thousands of miles. Social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube have evolved into hubs where people can not only share their thoughts and opinions with one another but also meet new people, discuss current events, and even have heated debates. The Internet has many forums and discussion boards where people with similar interests can talk to one another. That makes finding people who share your passions a lot less difficult.
Search any of the platforms and find existing groups that fit your interests.
Establish your own online group if those existing ones do not meet your needs, and share it with your friends, acquaintances, and co-workers to attract people who might be interested.
Promote your community, both online and offline.
Since all we need to create an online community is an internet-connected device and some time, it seems easier and more appealing. Additionally, it offers significantly more exposure and enables potentially quicker results. Online relationships do have a few drawbacks, though. They have a very limited capacity for nonverbal communication. Humans acquire knowledge about people, places, events, and other aspects through their five senses, a sense that internet-based interactions fail to provide. Even though having an online community may enrich our lives, it cannot replace face-to-face interaction. Therefore, it ought to be an addition to relationships with people that we can actually meet in person on a more regular basis.
Final Thoughts
We greatly benefit from having a close-knit group of friends in our lives. When we are around people who value, cherish, comprehend, and support us, we feel as though we have found our place in the world. If this connection is properly nurtured and developed, it affects our social, mental, and physical health and contributes to our overall well-being. Not only does it strengthen our social connections, but it also lengthens our lives, boosts motivation and perseverance, and increases our sense of personal control. It also helps to improve our immune system and increases our resistance to disease and stress.
Takeaway Points
Having a community fulfills the human need for belonging.
Early communities were formed to facilitate survival in a demanding environment.
Today's communities are more frequently created based on common interests, views, pursuits, and ideologies.
Belonging to a community impacts an individual's social, mental, and physical health.
People living in big cities tend to experience social isolation and loneliness.
Building your own community requires engagement.
You can find like-minded individuals both in your neighborhood and on the internet.
References
This article contains 19 citations:
[1] Donne J. No Man is an Island. Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions—Meditation XVII. 1624
[2] What When How. Community (Anthropology). <www.what-when-how.com>, Viewed: 16.05.2023
[3] Hyman M. The Power of Love, Community, and Friendship on Our Health. <www.drhyman.com/blog>, Viewed: 16.05.2023
[4] McGowan VJ, Wistow J, Lewis SJ, Popay J, Bambra C. Pathways to mental health improvement in a community-led area-based empowerment initiative: evidence from the Big Local 'Communities in Control' study, England. J Public Health (Oxf). 2019;41(4):850-857.
[5] Gardner P. The role of social engagement and identity in community mobility among older adults aging in place. Disabil Rehabil. 2014;36(15):1249-1257.
[6] Glass TA, Maddox GL. The quality and quantity of social support: stroke recovery as psycho-social transition. Soc Sci Med. 1992;34(11):1249-1261.
[7] Bouchillon BC. Social Ties and Generalized Trust, Online and in Person: Contact or Conflict—The Mediating Role of Bonding Social Capital in America. Social Science Computer Review. 2014, 32(4), 506–523.
[8] Grundberg A, Ebbeskog B, Dahlgren MA, Religa D. How community-dwelling seniors with multimorbidity conceive the concept of mental health and factors that may influence it: a phenomenographic study. Int J Qual Stud Health Well-being. 2012;7:1-13. Published 2012 Dec 13.
[9] Johnell K, Merlo J, Lynch J, Blennow G. Neighbourhood social participation and women's use of anxiolytic-hypnotic drugs: a multilevel analysis. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2004;58(1):59-64.
[10] Cohen S, Janicki-Deverts D, Turner RB, Doyle WJ. Does hugging provide stress-buffering social support? A study of susceptibility to upper respiratory infection and illness. Psychol Sci. 2015;26(2):135-147.
[11] Umberson D, Montez JK. Social relationships and health: a flashpoint for health policy. J Health Soc Behav. 2010;51 Suppl(Suppl):S54-S66.
[12] Wiltshire G, Stevinson C. Exploring the role of social capital in community-based physical activity: qualitative insights from parkrun,Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health. 2018, 10:1,47-62.
[13] Kawachi I, Kennedy BP, Glass R. Social capital and self-rated health: a contextual analysis. Am J Public Health. 1999;89(8):1187-1193.
[14] Saegert S, Thompson JP, Warren ME. Social Capital and Poor Communities. Contemporary Sociology. 2003, 32(3), 345.
[15] Seeman TE. Social ties and health: the benefits of social integration. Ann Epidemiol. 1996;6(5):442-451.
[16] Vogt TM, Mullooly JP, Ernst D, Pope CR, Hollis JF. Social networks as predictors of ischemic heart disease, cancer, stroke and hypertension: incidence, survival and mortality. J Clin Epidemiol. 1992;45(6):659-666.
[17] Christenfeld N, Gerin W. Social support and cardiovascular reactivity. Biomed Pharmacother. 2000;54(5):251-257.
[18] Cohen S, Doyle WJ, Skoner DP, Rabin BS, Gwaltney JM Jr. Social ties and susceptibility to the common cold. JAMA. 1997;277(24):1940-1944.
[19] Anderson J. The only metric of success that really matters is the one we ignore. Quartz. Mar, 2019.
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