20 May
Outdoor Recreation / Solutions to Loneliness
The Solution to Loneliness is Outdoor Recreation
We live in a digitally induced state of passive aggressive competition. Social media apps produce irregular dopamine hits and a constant feeling of FOMO that frankly has made people dislike one another.
Dr. Vivek Murthy’s “Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation” states that the physical health consequences of poor or insufficient connection include a 29% increased risk of heart disease, a 32% increased risk of stroke, and a 50% increased risk of developing dementia for older adults. Additionally, lacking social connection increases risk of premature death by more than 60% (source: hhs.gov).
“Given the significant health consequences of loneliness and isolation, we must prioritize building social connection the same way we have prioritized other critical public health issues such as tobacco, obesity, and substance use disorders. Together, we can build a country that’s healthier, more resilient, less lonely, and more connected.” — U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy
Ironically, Meta has been awarded over $2,000,000,000 in subsidy’s by the Federal Government.
*From what I have found, this money has gone to building data centers in rural areas such as in Prineville Oregon.
Meanwhile, no funding is made available to solving loneliness. And while Office of the Surgeon General has the budget to tell us that social media is bad and we should do something about it, they have no authority to help businesses do so…
The Office of the Surgeon General communicates the best available scientific information on how to improve health and reduce risk of illness and injury to the public by issuing Surgeon General’s Advisories, Calls to Action, and Reports on critical issues and communicating directly with the public via a number of communication channels. The Office of the Surgeon General is not a policymaking or grantmaking body, and does not have the authority to award public funding or grants.
No Money To Compete = No Chance At Change
In marketing, share of resources (marketing communication spending) is directly related to the amount of market share a company will capture. This is why household brands like Coke and Pepsi both spend billions each year. If one stops spending any money on marketing today, the other would gradually win market share from consumers that aren’t die-hards of the competitors brand.
Today, house hold names in Social Media are spending billions of dollars to keep users on platform. The $2.990B spent on marketing by Meta in 2021 was a small drop in the bucket compared to the $117.92B in revenue the company generated the same year.
Companies like Snap Inc. and TikTok that are trying to win market share and spending proportionally much higher to what Meta spent the same year. In 2021, TikTok spent almost 7x what Meta had spent on Marketing to produce about half of the revenue that Meta had, shown in chart below.
Snap spent proportionally 8x on marketing as a percent of revenue than Meta did. However, even with billions spent on marketing in an effort to gain market share by new entrants, Meta continues to dominate with over 65% combined market share between Facebook and Instagram.
Snap spent proportionally 8x on marketing as a percent of revenue than Meta did. However, even with billions spent on marketing in an effort to gain market share by new entrants, Meta continues to dominate with over 65% combined market share between Facebook and Instagram.
So if tens of billions of dollars isn’t able to carve out any meaningful marketshare, what can compete with Meta?
Feel Better, Increase Income , and Improve Mental Wellbeing
Going on a run (or walk) is the most cost effective solution to being healthy, happy, and improving your overall mental health. As humans, we all are genetically capable of running. Our ancestors would have to run a lot. Prior to being the dominate species on the planet, humans would have to run from predators. Today, running is seen as a chore to some and a lifestyle to others.
Regardless of motivation level, the simple act of being outside, and getting your heart rate up can have exponentially more health benefits than you might think…
When we’re kids, proximity and consistency (generally via school or sports) make it easy to make friends. Similarly, to make friends as an adult, you have to put the time in. Studies show that it takes:
- 40–60 hours of time spent together to form a casual friendship.
- 80–100 hours of together time to form an actual friendship, and;
- 200 + hours to become good or best friends.
One of the best ways to put the time in? Find an activity you both enjoy, such as running, hiking, or walking and do it regularly, together. Just like you’re putting “money in the bank” when you exercise, you’re putting money in the bank of your friendship when you spend time together that you can withdrawal later.
We evolved to be physically active for two reasons: when it was necessary or when it was rewarding, and play — sports for example — are obviously rewarding.” — Daniel Lieberman
Today, much of the time that people spend together is virtual. Even way together, many conversations are quiet with sporadic conversation between time spent on the phone. Even if you are putting in the hours being physically present this way, you are not actually present. By adding running to the equation, you are forced to be present.
In another article, I researched how Outdoor Recreation is Our Best Hope to Curb Climate Change. This article looked at states with this highest level of happiness and progress towards sustainability in an attempt to find correlation to the level of outdoor recreation. What I found was that states with high levels of outdoor recreation were more sustainable (and more happy), than states with low levels.
This same thesis can be translated to loneliness. My assumption; the more time spent outdoors, the less lonely one is likely to be.
Stay tuned as I explore this topic in greater detail.
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