Together: Why Social Connection Holds the Key to Better Health, Higher Performance, and Greater Happiness

by Vivek H. Murthy

Bill opened the door and was met with an enthusiastic handshake and an outpouring of gratitude for “stepping up for his community” and being the hero the community needed. He was confused, but the idea that the community needed him stirred something inside. So he joined the team. And he loved it. Maxine was encouraged by what she saw: her father was becoming himself again. She decided to bump up her clandestine interventions to the next level: she called the police. The local police oversaw the “neighborhood watch” program, and volunteers were often in short supply. After Maxine’s call volunteering Bill (again without his knowledge), two uniformed policemen showed up and knocked on her father’s door. “Bill, we really need you,” they said. Would he help by being his neighborhood’s coordinator? This official call for help had a powerful effect on Bill. It gave him a sense of purpose and connection. It convinced him that he still mattered to other people. He said yes to the policemen, and he enthusiastically took on his new role. Bill remained the neighborhood coordinator until the day he died. Thanks to Maxine’s initiative, her father’s postretirement years became busy and fulfilling, and Bill was restored to his social self. Although he never learned how Maxine had influenced this change, her mother knew and was eternally grateful.