Can Facebook Reduce Heart Disease?

In my last post on social networking predictions, I predicted that in 2009 it would be discovered that Facebook lowered heart disease.

Sounds far-fetched?

The introduction to Malcolm Gladwell's new book, Outliers, tells the story of a town in Pennsylvanian named Roseto made up almost entirely of native Italians from a small town in Italy.

"In Roseto (Pennsylvania), virtually no one under 55 died of a heart attack, or showed any signs of heart disease. For men over 65, the death rate from heart disease in Roseto was roughly half that of the United States as a whole. The death rate from all causes in Roseto, in fact, was something like thirty or thirty-five percent lower than it should have been"

Gladwell writes of a Doctor, Stewart Wolf, who performed an exhaustive study of the town and surmises from the findings that what had insulated the people of this Pennsylvanian town - was a social network.

"They looked at how the Rosetans visited each other, stopping to chat with each other in Italian on the street, or cooking for each other in their backyards. They learned about the extended family clans that underlay the town's social structure. They saw how many homes had three generations living under one roof, and how much respect grandparents commanded....They counted twenty-two separate civic organizations in a town of just under 2000 people."

Isn't that what Facebook is doing so well? In my own experience I'm getting back in touch with friends from my ancient past (grade school through college) all the way up to present day clients.

I'm learning what they are doing, meeting their immediate families, and discovering what causes are important to them.

We're sharing the mundane, the sweet, and the sad. Recently a FB friend passed away unexpectedly. Her "wall" became an instant memorial where I learned so much that I never knew about her.

I'm going to keep my Facebook circle small. I want this circle of friends to stay intimate and important to my life for years to come.

And, I'm hoping it keeps my heart strong.

How are you using Facebook?  

image credit: Bob Fornal

Comments

[Tracy]

I'm so sorry to hear about your friend. I'm glad you had a circle of people who were close to her as well to share memories with.

I think that you are right, that Facebook is an incredible tool for preserving community and building community. As an Army brat it's been wonderful as my former classmates are scattered all over the globe and I'd lost touch with many.

I also use it to increase the sense of community between the posters on my message board. I do believe that for those that participate it enhances the sense that our forums are also a community.

My question would be would this be enough to have a positive effect on health. Recently a study found that the mood of those in closest geographic proximity to you had more effect on your mood than people further away, even if you were closer (emotionally speaking) to the further off people. I wonder if a feeling of online community would have the same benefits as being physically there with your community 24/7.

It will be very interesting to see how this all plays out. I guess you'll have to have your doctor post the results of your physical in this blog every year!

[Christopher Ming Ryan]

Thanks for the thoughtful comment, Tracy.

It will also be interesting to see how FB keeps its mystique. It's the fun place to be right now but somehow economics and people's desire to in the "in" crowd could make FB the next AOL.

Meanwhile, I'll go get a check up at the Doctor's...