Community and Well-being

Community is as necessary for a good life as water or breathing. Humans crave social connection and need to feel like they belong and matter. A sense of community can help meet those basic human needs and cater to more individualized needs as well. Each community is different and appeals to different individuals. Someone looking to improve their spirituality and feel a connection with like-minded believers might look to a religious group to participate in, while someone looking to connect with others who share their passion for sports might join an intramural soccer team. These two communities are very different from each other in purpose and practice, appealing to different people with different interests. However, both have the potential to provide members with a “sense of community,” which involves a sense of belonging, a sense of responsibility and value to the group, and confidence that the group will meet their needs. Communities provide individuals benefits that aid in meeting physical, psychological, and social needs.

Physical Benefits: Community involvement has a significant impact on physical health and well-being. Individuals who are integrated in a community experience fewer contractions of the common cold and lower likelihood of heart attack, stroke, cancer, depression, and even premature death (Putnam, 2000). This may be because being a part of a community decreases a big player in disease: stress. The emotional support provided within communities decreases stress, which is significant because chronic stress can lead to illness or exacerbate current illness (Deichert et al., 2019). However, feeling a sense of community does more than just help us avoid disease. Increased sense of community responsibility predicts increased altruistic behavior which increases longevity of life and well-being (Yang et al., 2020). In short, community involvement helps you stay healthy. 

Psychological Benefits: People involved in community are less likely to experience sadness, loneliness, low self-esteem, and problems with eating and sleeping (Putnam, 2000). Participating in a community tends to bring a sense of empowerment (Tanaka et al., 2018) and sense of purpose (Weston et al., 2020). Community involvement facilitates stronger emotional closeness with others and the sense of belonging that comes with participation in communities is associated with flourishing (Li et al., 2020). The earlier an individual gets involved in communities, the better. Involvement early on in communities is beneficial and positively impacts social identity, social well-being, and identification with humanity (Albarello et al., 2020). Those who do participate in communities tend to have positive personal traits such as self-efficacy (Weiss et al., 2021). Acts of kindness, generosity, and donation to the community and its members leads others to reciprocate when you are in need (Lyubomirsky, 2007, p.130). An example of a behavior that someone might exhibit to contribute to a community is donating blood. Such an act of contribution is associated with positive emotions (Breckler & Wiggins, 1993). Those who feel a sense of community reap the psychological rewards of life satisfaction, happiness, and well-being. 

Social Benefits: Community is a social entity, so it makes sense that many of the benefits of a sense of community would be social. Not only can communities make positive social changes, but the community or social group can also change members, giving benefits from the outside in. For example, a member who is supported by their community in their efforts to stop smoking are more likely to actually stop smoking and less likely to relapse (Soulakova et al., 2018). A similar phenomenon can be seen with alcoholism decreases in members of AA (Kelly, 2010). Just as the group can help the individual change, communities can help facilitate larger scale progress. Social change is more likely to occur when people feel a sense of belonging and community responsibility. Those who feel a sense of community are more likely to identify with humanity, which leads to prosocial behavior (Albarello et al., 2020). Neighborhoods and public places with high levels of “sense of community” are cleaner, have friendlier people, and are safer (Putnam, 2000). Community participation in disadvantaged groups increases life satisfaction through multi-group belonging and group identification (Haslam et al., 2020). Citizen participation in community organizations is a crucial  route  to  increasing  capacity  for  confronting  the  diversity  of  challenges  to  a community’s health (Hughley et al., 2008). A sense of community evokes responsibility and participation from members which facilitates personal and social progress. 

A “sense of community” consists of a sense of belonging, responsibility to participate, and value placed on each group member. Each of these aspects combined and alone provide physical, psychological, and social benefits to well-being. So, opt into the communities you are currently a part of and join new ones. Make an effort to participate in social groups available to you. Value your fellow community members and allow them to value you too. Acknowledge that you belong and are needed. If you don’t make a conscious effort to join and participate in social groups, it is unlikely you will feel the sense of community that can so greatly improve your well-being.