Humans are naturally social beings—we evolved to form close relationships and build community; as a result, our brains are wired to find pleasure and safety in different types of intimate relationships.
Intimacy, or lack thereof, affects human health causing massive impact on symptoms associated with hearth health, brain and mental health and quality of sleep.
One of the seven dimensions of wellness is interpersonal and social wellness. Social and interpersonal wellness refers to “the daily interactions you have with others, their quality, and personal social skills. This dimension of wellness also addresses the human desire for a sense of belonging and community contribution.”
Some of the qualities and behaviors associated with interpersonal wellness include:
Communication skills
A capacity for intimacy
The ability to establish and maintain satisfying relationships
The ability to cultivate a support system of friends and family
Intimacy and social life are essential to individual, partnership, and community health and wellness. Intimacy takes many forms and is experienced in any close relationship.
The four basic types of intimacy are:
Experiential intimacy: When people bond during leisure activities or hobbies. This often occurs with friends who meet for an activity they enjoy or the bonds form during teamwork. It can also refer to when people bond over similar past experiences, such as growing up in the same town or having had a similar childhood experience.
Emotional intimacy: When people feel safe sharing all types of feelings with each other and even talking through them
Intellectual intimacy: When people feel comfortable sharing and discussing ideas and opinions, even when they disagree
Sexual intimacy: When people engage in sensual or sexual activities
Close relationships exert influence on health in daily life and can help to promote cardiovascular health, mental health, and sleep. Social and emotional bonds provided by non-sexual relationships are equally, if not more, important to mental and social wellbeing and have major influence on our productivity and energy levels.
To have sound social and interpersonal wellness, it is important to cultivate an ability to engage in intimate relationships, meaning being willing to be receptive to what others want to contribute to the relationship while also being willing to reciprocate.