STEPN is stepping up to support its community’s social health. The move-to-earn game supports users with a guide to social health to encourage mental and physical health.
STEPN Health Support
The #STEPN Guide to Social Health
Taking care of your body and and moving regularly is a fantastic thing. In this article we explore our philosophy on social health and how integral it is to your well-being alongside physical health. 💚
Read now ⤵️ https://t.co/o3OxmjSIOn
— STEPN | Public Beta Phase V (@Stepnofficial) September 29, 2022
The social health support guide isn’t STEPN’s first foray into helping its steppers find the help they need beyond their physical health. Earlier this month, the team released a complete physical, mental and social health guide.
As we head towards October, the latest release from this top-rated fitness app looks more closely at social health. Covid-19 has inspired many of us to reconsider how we prioritize our health. STEPN’s response is to encourage and cheerlead this change:
“If you don’t have your health, you don’t have anything.” – STEPN.
What Is Social Health?
According to Steve Rose, PhD, “Social health is the ability of a social context to foster interdependent social relations in a way that meets the needs of individuals and the needs of the broader group.” For gamers, many of us find this community online through apps such as STEPN, where we engage in supportive communication and feel part of a group.
“But one thing that most folks overlook is the state of their social health, and that’s something that we here at STEPN thinks is something that we must pay more attention to.” – STEPN.
We are all born into our society and spend our lives in different social groups, so it isn’t simple to remove the social element from the evolution of an individual. The pandemic exemplified this more than any other situation of the 21st century.
A recent study published in Nature argues that early humans began to evolve to speak a basic language because we required advanced communication to explore new ideas. They say this helped our ancestors develop tools that allowed them to live better and evolve further.
Loneliness
Furthermore, social media and the 24/7 online cycle seem to create more connections than ever. Still, shallow interactions and the rise of the “like, comment, and subscribe” era have superseded deeper relationships and intimate contact.
Researchers have found that though people turn to social media when they’re feeling lonely, they feel more isolated and friendless due to comparing themselves with others and feeling less happy.
Several reports have found that the pandemic led to another twin epidemic — the rise of loneliness worldwide:
- In a national survey of American adults, 36% responded that they experienced loneliness, feeling lonely “frequently” or “almost all the time or all the time” in the four weeks before the survey. 61% of young people and 51% of mothers with young children responded this way.
- Young adults have been hit hardest. Nearly 50% who reported increases in loneliness said that no one in the prior few weeks had “taken more than just a few minutes” to ask how they were doing in a way that made them feel like the person “genuinely cared.”
- The elderly have struggled with isolation too. Due to ailing health, infrequent social contact hits harder amongst older adults. About a quarter of older adults is considered socially isolated, with 43% report feeling lonely.
Physically, loneliness has been linked to a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, inflammation, diabetes, and high blood pressure. People who enjoy secure social relationships have a 50% likelihood of survival over time versus those with weaker social connections.
The Key To Rewarding Relationships
Social health is key to forming rewarding and healthy relationships with others.
Today, social health is arguably more important than ever, as loneliness has become an epidemic. According to Gallup’s 2022 Global Emotions report, a staggering 330 million adults go for weeks without talking to a single friend or family member.
Loneliness has significant health risks — social isolation and fewer interactions lead to physiological changes, even leading to increased risk for all-cause mortality. Exercise has many physical, mental, and social benefits, but we also need human interaction, strong bonds, and a sense of community.
Conclusion: We Need Society To Thrive
Humans are pretty literally hard-wired for social relationships. Humans can match each other’s emotions unconsciously and immediately. We are instinctively empathetic and compassionate, feeling sympathy for others’ pains, especially our loved ones.
When we feel too disconnected from others for too long, there are serious health consequences across various spectrums.
STEPN is taking the initiative and advocating for a healthy and balanced life rather than simply advertising the money-earning aspect of its app. We could all use whatever support we can get in these challenging times, so it’s good to see a move-to-earn giant advocating for every aspect of a healthy life.
