Loneliness and social isolation are some of the worst things for your mental and physical health. You might not consider their effects if you have a thriving social life. However, there are so many people out there who barely have any human contact at all. So, they’re incredibly grateful for any small interactions, even with complete strangers. And random acts of kindness can be very powerful.
Redditor u/moamen12323 went massively viral on the ‘Self’ online group after opening up about a heartwarming moment they shared with an elderly man on the bus. What started with the author simply giving up their seat for the older gentleman turned into something quite unexpected and special. Keep scrolling for the full story, including the internet’s reaction to it. Bored Panda has reached out to the author for further comment, and we’ll update the article as soon as we hear back from them.
The small acts of empathy you do every day can have a much bigger positive impact than you think
Image credits: ilayda 0700/Pexels (not the actual photo)
A person shared how an older gentleman reacted to their moment of kindness on public transportation
Image credits: moamen12323
Social isolation and loneliness are, unfortunately, very widespread and have a large negative impact on people’s health
The American Psychological Association reports that based on recent research conducted by psychologist Louise Hawkley, PhD, a senior research scientist at the research organization NORC at the University of Chicago, loneliness can “wreak havoc on an individual’s physical, mental and cognitive health.”
Social isolation is linked to adverse health consequences such as depression, poor sleep quality, impaired executive function, accelerated cognitive decline, poor cardiovascular function, and impaired immunity. These effects occur at every stage of life.
The CDC states that social isolation and loneliness are both widespread problems in the United States. They pose “a serious threat to our mental and physical health,” from an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, depression, and anxiety to dementia, self-harm, and passing away earlier.
Roughly a third of American adults report feeling lonely, while a quarter of adults report not having social and emotional support.
In a nutshell, social isolation means that a person doesn’t have relationships or contact with others and has no social support. Meanwhile, loneliness is the feeling of being alone or disconnected from other human beings. Ironically, someone with lots of friends can feel lonely.
“It [loneliness] is feeling like you do not have meaningful or close relationships or a sense of belonging. It reflects the difference between a person’s actual and desired level of connection,” the CDC explains.
When you consistently have positive, meaningful interactions with other people, you live a higher quality, healthier, longer life
Some of the main benefits of meaningful social connections include less stress, better sleep, and an overall longer and healthier life.
As per the CDC, here are some simple but effective ideas for making social connections:
- Spend more quality time with family and friends;
- Spend time with others in nature;
- Express gratitude to others;
- Volunteer with a group or organization;
- Get involved in your community;
- Get to know your neighbors;
- Join a community garden.
Author u/moamen12323’s story resonated with many people on the internet. At the time of writing, their post had garnered 56k upvotes and 1.4k comments on Reddit, as readers wanted to share similar stories of their own. Meanwhile, the original post was also covered by many different media outlets as it continued to go viral.
What are your thoughts about the author’s chance interaction with the older gentleman? How often do you interact with strangers on public transportation? What small acts of kindness have you done for someone else recently? From your perspective, what could be done to tackle the loneliness epidemic?
As the story went viral, many internet users rushed to share their stories about random acts of kindness
Here’s how a few internet users reacted to the bittersweet story
