“Sometimes in life, there’s an amazing human being right in front of us — we fail to recognize it.”

I recently read an article in the New York Times this past Sunday written by Joanne Kaufman titled, “Neighbors Fill a Fellowship Void.” As we all know right now, it’s been challenging for some of us to see family and friends, and it’s definitely impacting our mental and social health.

We’re all craving connection right now. The pandemic has forced us to stay indoors, limit social gatherings, and take careful precautions when seeing family. It’s forced us to dive into new hobbies, passion projects, and do some self-reflection.

It’s wired in our DNA to crave connection. We want to feel closeness to other human beings. Think of a new-born baby and how the baby wants to be held and be touched by its primary caretakers. This genuine feeling never leaves us as we get older.

“We want love, we want friendship. What we really are looking for though is the “connection and closeness.”

Why We Crave Human Connection

There’s a closeness feeling the minute we’re born into this earth. We feel the most loving, comforting feeling being embraced by our caretakers. The people that end up raising us and watching us grow and become adults.

This feeling we crave as children is a close physical feeling — where we want to be touched and held as children. It’s the human touch we’re after, and most of us will crave this touch our entire lives. And guess what — that’s great! Make a note — one of your love languages.

Numerous studies have stated that the hormone we all know called “oxytocin” is released when we feel someone else’s skin touching ours. The happy feeling — we all know it as. This touchy feeling follows us into adulthood when we begin having relationships with others.

We are craving the “touch” feeling from our partner. Hugging, kissing, sex, cuddling — are all the things we enjoy as humans that make us feel close to one another. We all want to feel a touch from another being—the closeness feeling — physically and socially.

Why we crave social interaction

We are social beings. The way we emotionally bond with each other is through our words, thoughts, and feelings. Humans have come along way. We’ve evolved, adapted, and made break-through discoveries. But, we did it with each other.

With the help of our neighbor. There have been countless discoveries that have uncovered the health benefits of social interaction with other human beings. It lowers the risk for anxiety and depression. It’s good for our immune system and health. It just overall makes us feel better about ourselves and our energy.

Being in the presence of another human energy to which we feel connected is like no other. When we don’t have this — we crave it. We want it. Something all of us are longing for at this very moment in life.

Many of us confided in our homes, with little to do and social distancing ourselves from others. The mental health aspect of COVID takes a toll on many — myself included, which is why we need our neighbors.

Why We Need Our Neighbors

With remote work going on right now, many of us have resorted back to family homes. But, for those that have stayed put during the last year — I commend you. Talk to your neighbor. You know, the one you make eye contact with on your street all the time, but the conversation never really leads anywhere.

I recently moved to a new neighborhood in Philadelphia and knew no one on my street. I’ve gotten very close with the woman who lives right next to me, and she’s awesome. Just today, we spoke for almost an hour outside. Yes, it was freezing out.

This past year has made me realize that sometimes there’s something so great right in front of you — you need to make an effort. There’s always a lesson to be learned when you form a connection with someone new.

Final thoughts

Throughout my life, I lived next to many people — and have moved multiple times.

You never know who’s living next to you. Strike up a conversation. Steer it in the direction you would like it to go.

Your new neighbor could be your future best friend, a new love interest, biz partner, etc.

Sometimes in life, there’s an amazing human being right in front of us — we fail to recognize it.