One of overlooked symptoms of hearing loss is the impact the condition can have on socializing. It’s easy to recoil from get-togethers because of the difficulty hearing someone speak in a noisy environment. While auditory damage may make socializing seem more like a chore than a pleasure, there are a wealth of benefits to gain through interacting with others that can make the challenge of adapting to social settings worthwhile. Here are a few of the primary reasons why staying connected with friends, family and the world may not only keep you active, but also improve your overall health.
Motivate your mind
Multiple studies have tested the wonders socializing can do for your brain. This can pertain to everything from challenging a friend in a game of chess to simply chatting with a relative about your favorite television show. According to researchers at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, socializing can improve your overall mental function by 75 percent. Another study from researchers at the University of Michigan also determined that engaging in frequent social interaction increases intellectual performance and will help maintain a higher sense of cognitive ability.
Dr. Oscar Ybarra, a professor at the University of Michigan and lead author in the study, insists that socializing is the key to keeping your mind healthy and active.
“Social interaction helps to exercise people’s minds,” The authors stated in a press release. “People reap cognitive benefits from socializing. As people engage socially and mentally with others, they receive relatively immediate cognitive boosts.”
Quality of life
Just as running can help improve cardiovascular activity or lifting weights strengthens muscles, socializing enhances your everyday moods and experiences, especially as you get older. Mingling with others is arguably one of the best aging tips, and research continues to back this claim. In a report conducted by Statistics Canada, the more social activities older individuals kept up with through aging, the greater odds of personal satisfaction and positive self-perceived health they had. In addition, seniors who maintained strong relationships with their friends and family as well as socialized on a regular basis were less likely to develop depression or feel lonely.
Ways to stay in touch
Socializing doesn’t mean you have to immerse yourself into a packed coffeehouse or constantly be on the lookout for new friends. Planning ahead to schedule visits with friends or family is the most organized way to arrange a get-together. Researching all the local groups and clubs in your area is another excellent source for finding new ways and people to socialize with. Join a jogging group to stay fit while you converse, or sign up for a book club to help you keep up to date with all the new stimulating novels.
Even utilizing the phone to share conversations with loved ones is a beneficial source of socializing. If your hearing loss is getting in the way of having an a fruitful discussion, try using a CapTel captioned telephone to keep up to date with friends and family, and never miss a word of the action.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-04/rumc-hlo042511.php
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-02/sp-dsm021508.php
http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/socializing-key-to-successful-aging-1.1260922
