Call a friend
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Need for Belonging
Evidence
Humans may have evolved in cooperative groups where being part of the tribe meant safety and support. This need may motivate us to seek acceptance in communities and relationships that embrace us as we are. Valuing belonging provides a secure sense of identity and a social safety net, which increases psychological security and resilience under stress.
Details about the rewritten claim
Psychologists often consider the need to belong a fundamental human motivation. Research suggests that feeling part of a group or community is critical for mental health and even physical survival. Notably, a seminal review concluded that social belonging is as essential to long-term health as food and shelter, with a lack of belonging linked to adverse outcomes such as higher risks of depression and early mortality (Baumeister & Leary 1995). In short, when people experience true belonging, they gain emotional support and stability that buffer them against life’s challenges.
Supporting sources
- Review summarizing belonging as vital for health and longevity (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8095671/)
Strategies
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Listen to music
A lot of variety available to you here. Could benefit from calming music or raging music. You do you ;)
Play a video game
There is such a wide diversity of video games out there. Calming exploratory games, puzzle games, combat, story, single or multiplayer, etc. Once I get in touch with the need that is alive in me it’s fun to look for a game or game genre that might tend specifically to that.
Read a character driven novel
When we read a book the world and it’s inhabitants can feel especially personal. We can build very powerful connections this way and can go a long way in helping us feel less alone in the world. It’s okay for those relationships to mean so much to us, that’s why the author worked so hard on them <3
Play a social video game
Some games involve other human interactions, corporatize games are sometimes called “PVE” (player vs environment) but other games that have compelling fictional characters could also be nice. Similar to reading a book you can build relationships with the characters and find connection in relating to their experience.
Read a poem you like aloud
Try a search online like poets.org. Search a key word related to what you’re experiencing right now. Find a poem you’re relating to and in the privacy of your room or car or closet (wherever you feel comfortable) and read the poem aloud to yourself. Let it gives you words in a time when you have none. Experience the validation that this artist understands also how you might be feeling right now and sees it as valid too.
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