Carin Rockind, MAPP '10, is an empowerment coach and inspirational speaker. Carin holds the simple philosophy that we each have a unique purpose on earth and we're happy when living it. Working with individuals and companies, she combines her expertise in Positive Psychology with experience as a trauma survivor and former Fortune 500 exec to support professional women to be truly happy and wildly successful. For more information, visit Website, Facebook, Twitter. Full bio. Carin's articles are here.
Hi, I’m Carin Rockind, welcome to PPN Bites, where we give you 60-second helpings of the positive psychology news you need to know. So it’s long been understood that social connections are imperative to our wellbeing. As Dr. Chris Peterson said, other people matter, that’s how we can define positive psychology.
There are many aspects of social connections, one of which is feeling like you matter to other people. A research study of 1,000 people looked at the connection between allostatic load, which is the wear and tear of your body from chronic stress over time, and the belief that you matter to others. And what they found in this study of people aged 22 to 69, is that indeed, people who felt like they mattered to others, yes, allostatic load increased over time, but not as much for those who really felt like they mattered.
So the question is, whose life is better because you’re in it? I’m sure that you matter to people and make sure that you’re documenting that. Because it will improve your stress, improve your allostatic load, and help you live a longer, healthier, happy life. We hope this helps you take a bite out of happiness and improve your life, bye for now.
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References
Taylor, J., McFarland, M. J., & Carr, D. C. (2018). Age, perceptions of mattering, and allostatic load. Journal of Aging and Health. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0898264318795805
