Do you know that a systematic review by the World Health Organization (WHO) has shown that a sense of loneliness is worse for one’s health than smoking 14 cigarettes a day?
Did you know that the sense of being socially rejected either online or in person increases the risk of experiencing physical pain?
Sure people give lip service about the importance of the bio-psycho-social model for pain, but in reality the word “social” is just tagged at the end for decoration and is rarely actually addressed.
What if doctors and PTs strongly suggested singing in a choir, or to go to group dancing or group laughter classes which have all been shown to have incredible pain-relieving power.
What if instead of just home exercises, PTs also strongly recommended in person group yoga, Zumba or aqua fitness classes?
The fact is that group singing, dancing, sports and group rituals can be better pain relievers than drugs, yet underutilized.
Just remember sensing isolation or rejection is more harmful for our health than smoking 14 cigarettes a day!