The Elixir of Life

The Importance of Connection

There is a body of social epidemiology and gerontology that I lecture on in my mental illness class on aging. It talks about the importance of connection in life, especially as we get older. There is another body of research that hasn’t yet made it onto my syllabus, but that is equally compelling, which deals with the importance of connection for babies and youth. And then there is the literature on its import in adolescence, early adulthood, middle age, etc. When it comes down to it, no matter what stage of life, people who are more connected via healthy relationships with other people, are happier and healthier. Connection is the elixir of life.

In my book, Rethinking Intelligence, I talk about the utility of connection as applied to learning. Connected, collaborative learning sparks focus and attention, enriches memory retrieval, and reduces stress. There is a synergy and passion in learning with others. That is why I say that life is learning and learning is best done with others.

Learning with Others

When tackling new information or tasks, and reaching new heights with skills and knowledge with others, I find that it is especially effective if I attempt to connect with someone different from me. For example, framing mentoring as learning opportunities for me and my mentee, or framing teaching as learning opportunities for me and my students, I get even more jazzed and focused on the challenge at hand.

Anyone who works or plays with kids knows that teaching is learning. Sharing a moment with people who are a different age and passing along some knowledge or skill is synergistic, and it can have health-protective stress-reducing effects. This can be effective with elders as well, like when you slow down to get some of their experience or wisdom under your belt. I feel particularly calmed and energized when learning from the great-grandparents in my family. 

I also learn so much from my students when I heighten the reciprocity of our exchange. I do this by giving all of us something to read and then asking them to share how the information made them feel, what they gained from it, how they see it in their own experiences. I do the same, modeling how to think reflexively and ratcheting up the depth of our thinking and learning. We aren’t just seeing facts, but rather sharing and gaining new perspectives on life as we know it.

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