Community that strengthens us
“Community that strengthens us” means a stable social environment of friends and relatives. At the Kyborg Institute we are convinced: whoever feels they belong and are in good hands often feels more stable physically and emotionally too. This is our conviction – and it connects well with research findings. How this “we” joins with the freedom of the individual, without appropriating them, is treated by Collectivism & individualism.
What research suggests
Social connectedness is, in science, brought into connection with well-being. A much-cited investigation came to the following finding:
“Recently, in an experiment, healthy volunteers who were exposed to cold and flu viruses fell ill the more easily the fewer friends and relatives they had around them.” (after Cohen et al. 1997; cited in de Waal 2008: 23)
Such findings point to the fact that a carrying environment does the human being good. This is a general observation on well-being.
What does that mean in practice?
- Cultivate contacts: regular time with friends and family.
- Support one another: be there for each other, exchange honestly.
- Create belonging: shared activities and reliable encounters.
Frequently asked questions
Does social connectedness do good to health?
Much speaks for it. A well-known study (Cohen et al. 1997) found that people with more social contacts fell ill with colds less often. Connectedness supports well-being.
How does the Kyborg Institute see community?
We see a stable, loving environment as an important source of strength. Whoever feels they belong often feels more stable inwardly too. This is our conviction, supplemented by research findings.
What strengthens community in everyday life?
Time with friends and family, mutual support, shared activities and honest exchange. Small, regular encounters often work more than rare large ones.
Change history · last updated on
- — Notes shortened, text tidied.
- — Our own view stated more clearly.
- — Address of this entry localised: it now carries the English term instead of the German one. The old address redirects.
- — First English version.
Sources
- 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. PMID: 9200634.
- de Waal, Frans (2008/2006): Primaten und Philosophen. Wie die Evolution die Moral hervorbrachte. Carl Hanser Verlag, München.
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