Community, Connection and Health

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Your Good Farm in-house nutritionist. Here to bring you essential information on nutrition, diet and permaculture gardening - in a bite size, easy to understand, science-backed way.

Community, Connection and Health

A few years ago, I returned to my childhood neighbourhood after spending several years living on the Mid North Coast. My closest friends were scattered across Sydney and beyond, yet some of the most valuable connections in helping us find our roots again came through small daily interactions with people we barely knew at the time but know well now.

Michael the garbage truck driver, Jodi at the local shop at the end of the street, Marg who is often at that shop, and our neighbours. Each interaction, no matter how brief, created a sense of familiarity, connection, and belonging. Together, they formed an invisible thread that anchored us to a place.

It made me realise that community is often built through hundreds of small exchanges that barely register at the time. A wave from a neighbour. A quick conversation while collecting the mail. Being recognised when you walk into a local shop.

We often think of health in terms of food, exercise, sleep, supplements, and medical care. However, there is another ingredient that receives far less attention: a sense of belonging.

Like nutrients, community shapes our health in the background. It influences how we feel, how we respond to stress, how resilient we are during difficult times, and even how long we live.

One of the longest-running studies ever conducted on human health and wellbeing began in 1938 and followed participants for more than 80 years. The findings were remarkably consistent. The strongest predictor of health, happiness, and longevity was not wealth, social class, cholesterol levels, or career success. It was the quality of people's relationships.

Researchers found that people with stronger social connections tended to live longer, remain healthier, and maintain better physical and cognitive function as they aged. These findings have since been supported by a growing body of research examining loneliness and social isolation. Some studies suggest that chronic social isolation may carry a mortality risk comparable to many of the risk factors we routinely discuss in public health, including smoking, obesity, and physical inactivity.

From an evolutionary perspective, this is hardly surprising. Humans evolved in tribes, villages, and extended family networks. For most of our history, survival depended on belonging to a group. Food was gathered collectively, children were cared for collectively, knowledge was shared, and support was available during illness, hardship, and loss. Belonging was a matter of survival.

Yet modern life has altered many of the interactions that once connected us to one another. We order groceries online, work remotely, and increasingly live lives that require fewer face-to-face encounters. Our phones play a role too. Now more than ever, we spend our time looking down rather than looking up. Waiting in line, walking down the street, or standing and waiting for our coffee, moments that once invited conversation or acknowledgement are often filled with a screen. I notice this most when catching public transport with my daughter. She often sits facing backwards on the bus, scanning the faces around her, waiting for someone to look up and meet her gaze, yet more often than not, all those eyes are fixed down on their phones. What once might have seemed unusual now barely registers.

When I lived in Mexico, it was considered normal, and expected, to acknowledge people as you passed them. A simple "Buenos días" or "Buenas tardes" was part of everyday life. Walking past someone without acknowledging them would have felt unusual, even rude. I still find it slightly unsettling when I pass someone, especially in close proximity, and neither of us smiles, nods, or says hello.

Perhaps community is shaped not only by culture, but also by design. I often appreciate homes and gardens that remain connected to the street rather than hidden behind high front fences. A front porch, an open garden, or a bench facing the footpath can create opportunities for the small interactions that help people become neighbours rather than strangers. The built environment cannot create community on its own, but it can either encourage or discourage the everyday encounters from which community often grows.

In an age where many people can instantly contact someone on the other side of the world, a surprising number of us do not know the name or phone number of the person living next door, let alone feel comfortable reaching out to borrow a lemon or even in an emergency. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, loneliness is now recognised as a growing public health concern, with around one in four Australians experiencing loneliness in 2023.

It raises the question: what happens to our sense of belonging when the small, everyday interactions that once connected us begin to disappear?

Not so long ago, many communities knew the people who produced their food. Families bought milk from local dairies, meat from local butchers, and produce from nearby growers. There was often a relationship behind the transaction. Today, knowing your farmer can feel unusual, yet for most of human history it would have been entirely normal.

Four months into life with our second daughter, I have found myself reflecting on this more than ever. Compared to my first postpartum experience, I am currently surrounded by far more support. We live in a three-generational household, an arrangement that has become less common in many Western cultures but remains common in many parts of the world.

When I became a mum and experienced bouts of post-partum anxiety and depression, I often wondered how different early parenthood might feel if stronger community bonds were still present. Research consistently identifies social connection and practical assistance as some of the strongest protective factors against post-partum depression, which affects approximately one in six mothers globally. While no family structure guarantees an easier transition to parenthood, it is difficult not to wonder whether some of the challenges modern mothers face stem from the gradual loss of the village that once surrounded them.

The phrase "it takes a village" has returned to our lexicon, but its deeper meaning is often underestimated. A genuine village is more than occasional help; it is a network of relationships that provides shared responsibility, practical assistance, experienced hands and everyday meaningful connection. Recreating even parts of that village could profoundly shape how women and families experience early parenthood.

In parts of Italy, Greece, Japan, and many other regions of the world, older generations remain integrated within family and community life. Grandparents help care for grandchildren, meals are shared across generations, and elders remain connected to the rhythms of daily life. In some communities, there are remarkably few, if any, nursing homes because ageing family members continue living within the fabric of family and community.

Modern life often celebrates independence as the ideal. Yet many of the world's longest-lived communities appear to value something closer to interdependence.

Health is influenced by the food we eat, the sleep we get, the sunlight we receive, and the way we move our bodies. But perhaps one of the most overlooked determinants of health is whether we feel connected to the people and places around us.

These moments may seem small, but repeated over time and stitched together, they create something powerful and potentially lifesaving: a sense of belonging.

Further Reading

The Good Life: Lessons from the World's Longest Scientific Study of Happiness by Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz

Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World by Vivek Murthy

Lost Connections by Johann Hari

The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker

Further Watching

What Makes a Good Life? Lessons from the Longest Study on Happiness (TED Talk) by Robert Waldinger

The Secret to a Happy Life: Lessons from 8 Decades of Research (TED Talk) by Robert Waldinger

This Could Be Why You're Depressed or Anxious (TED Talk) by Johann Hari

The Blue Zones (Netflix Documentary Series)

Up Next

Next week we explore how to meet your macro and micronutrient needs on a vegetarian diet, a topic requested by Rachael from Melbourne.

If there is a topic you would like us to explore on The Nutrition Edit, please leave a comment below or send us an email.

One of the simplest ways to strengthen community is to share a meal. Whether it's inviting new neighbours over, gathering friends around the table, or hosting a family dinner, food has a unique ability to bring people together. If you'd like to spend more time connecting and less time cooking, explore our catering-sized meals here.

References

Harvard Study of Adult Development

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Social Isolation, Loneliness and Wellbeing

Holt-Lunstad J, Smith TB, Layton JB. Social Relationships and Mortality Risk: A Meta-analytic Review

World Health Organization. Social Connection and Loneliness