The Impact on Social Relationships on Our Physical Health & Microbiome

The gut microbiome that inhabits our gastrointestinal tract plays a huge role in determining the health of our immune system, nutrient metabolism, moods and neurological functions. It is well established that environmental factors such as exposure to pollutants, medication use and our diet influence our gut microbiome. However, recent evidence has found social relationships may also play a role in influencing our microbiome (Herd et al., 2019).

Humans are social creatures and evolved to need to communicate with others. Communication, cooperation and connection with others are fundamental needs for humans to survive & flourish ("The cooperative human", 2018).

Individuals who live together have more similar microbiota compared to individuals at large. This is believed to be due to living nearby, consumption of similar diets and direct physical contact (e.g. exchanges of the salivary microbiome (through kissing)) (Archie & Tung, 2015).

Social support reduces stress and stress-related self-medicating behaviours (including smoking, and drinking) and supports healthy habits. In addition, expressions of love through physical touch (such as hugging) increase serotonin and oxytocin (“feel good” hormones) ("Cuddle and Hug Your Way to Better Health", 2020).

Socially isolated individuals have a less diverse microbiome and are at more risk for developing metabolic syndrome, obesity, Alzheimer’s and cardiac disease. Social relationships are even a stronger predictor of mortality than smoking (Herd, Palloni, Rey & Dowd, 2018).

Furthermore, individuals who experience stressful relationships such as intimate partner violence are at significantly higher risk for developing depression, migraines, chronic pelvic pain, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), irritable bowel syndrome and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) (Becker-Dreps et al., 2010).

Thus, it has been demonstrated that socialising and connecting with others is one of the fundamental factors for good health. We often forget our health is greater than what we eat or how we move. Making time for catching up with friends for coffee, taking the time to call a friend and/or even texting a friend every so often to check in is just as important as engaging in a daily exercise routine or eating a nutrient-dense meal.

REFERENCES

Archie, E., & Tung, J. (2015). Social behaviour and the microbiome. Current Opinion In Behavioral Sciences, 6, 28-34.

Becker-Dreps, S., Morgan, D., Peña, R., Cortes, L., Martin, C., & Valladares, E. (2010). Association Between Intimate Partner Violence and Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Population-Based Study in Nicaragua. Violence Against Women, 16(7), 832-845. doi: 10.1177/1077801210374816

Cuddle and Hug Your Way to Better Health. (2020). Retrieved 3 December 2020, from https://intermountainhealthcare.org/blogs/topics/live-well/2015/02/cuddle-and-hug-your-way-to-better-health/#:~:text=When%20we%20touch%20%E2%80%93%20cuddle%2C%20hug,and%20lower%20levels%20of%20depression.

Herd, P., Rey, F., Sorenson, T., Palloni, A., Chen, G., & Kerby, R. et al. (2019). Close social relationships correlate with human gut microbiota composition. Scientific Reports Volume, 9, 703-706.

Herd, P., Palloni, A., Rey, F., & Dowd, J. (2018). Social and population health science approaches to understand the human microbiome. Nature Human Behaviour, 2(11), 808-815. doi: 10.1038/s41562-018-0452-y

The cooperative human. (2018). Nature Human Behaviour, 2(7), 427-428. doi: 10.1038/s41562-018-0389-1