southernhybrid
Contributor
I think one of the reasons that social interaction is so vitally important as we age, is because social interaction includes mental stimulation. You don't need to be a rocket scientist to have mental stimulation. Isolation is very unhealthy for older adults. I've seen its negative impact when I worked as a home health nurse for many years. When I speak with friends who I exercise with, we often discuss politics, music and family issues. All of that is mental stimulation.
I think the reason my husband's late grandmother, who was obese and suffered from numerous chronic health issues, lived to be 95 and was mentally sharp until 94, was probably because she had constant visitors from family and friends. She had a very positive outlook, despite her very limited education. That's the most important type of mental stimulation. Humans did not evolve to be isolated. We evolved as very social animals and that is why it's important to continue to have socialization throughout our lives. Even introverts need some social interaction with others. So, when you retire, build a nice social support system, get out and join a group, do volunteer work, get to know the people where you exercise, take a course in gardening or something that interests you, etc. You can also get socialization just by posting here and interacting with other members, if you are homebound and very isolated. It may not be a beneficial as actually being with others, but it is a form of social interaction and for some extreme introverts, that might be enough.
Please don't take the above to mean that I don't think that a healthy, well balanced diet, exercise and maintaining a health weight aren't vitally important. I just think that interacting with others is just as important after we retire.
I think the reason my husband's late grandmother, who was obese and suffered from numerous chronic health issues, lived to be 95 and was mentally sharp until 94, was probably because she had constant visitors from family and friends. She had a very positive outlook, despite her very limited education. That's the most important type of mental stimulation. Humans did not evolve to be isolated. We evolved as very social animals and that is why it's important to continue to have socialization throughout our lives. Even introverts need some social interaction with others. So, when you retire, build a nice social support system, get out and join a group, do volunteer work, get to know the people where you exercise, take a course in gardening or something that interests you, etc. You can also get socialization just by posting here and interacting with other members, if you are homebound and very isolated. It may not be a beneficial as actually being with others, but it is a form of social interaction and for some extreme introverts, that might be enough.
Please don't take the above to mean that I don't think that a healthy, well balanced diet, exercise and maintaining a health weight aren't vitally important. I just think that interacting with others is just as important after we retire.