3382: Calling All Supercitizens by Ryan Frederick of Here.life on Finding A Sense of Community & Purpose

[00:00:00] This is Optimal Living Daily, Calling All Supercitizens by Ryan Frederick of Here.life and I'm Justin Malik.

[00:00:09] And now let's get right into today's post as we optimize your life. Calling All Supercitizens by Ryan Frederick of Here.life

[00:00:22] We face a strange predicament. More so than ever, we've become untethered to place. Remote work, fluid job changes, longer retirements,

[00:00:33] and other factors allow us to more easily consider and act on moving to a different place.

[00:00:40] On the one hand, this option is exciting and creates opportunity. The prospect of moving to a dream location can be alluring.

[00:00:48] If we feel stuck in a place, many of us have agency to do something about it. In addition, geographic mobility can unlock economic opportunity.

[00:00:58] On the other hand, moving with great frequency or even having the mindset of potentially moving soon does not allow us to become rooted in our place.

[00:01:09] Why invest in your community if you're going to relocate soon? It can also create collection action problems. If other people leave, why shouldn't I?

[00:01:19] Enter Supercitizens. Amidst this predicament, there are Supercitizens, as Brian Klaas highlights, who make a profound commitment to their place.

[00:01:31] Supercitizens are people who, quote,

[00:01:33] Routinely devote significant amounts of their time, energy, and talent to make their communities better, end quote.

[00:01:40] These hidden heroes have altruist motivations and elevate the well-being of those in their area.

[00:01:47] They provide the social glue, or social capital, as Robert Putnam would say, that keeps our communities together.

[00:01:54] Examples of Supercitizens are volunteers who regularly work to keep local parks clean, or offer up their services for neighbors in need, such as an older neighbor who needs transportation to the doctor, or serve weekly at the local school.

[00:02:11] You probably know the names of some supercitizens in your area.

[00:02:15] Recent research points to the causal relationship between supercitizens and social cohesion.

[00:02:22] Note, social cohesion and social capital are related terms, but different.

[00:02:27] Social cohesion refers to the unity and solidarity of a society or group,

[00:02:33] whereas social capital is more about the networks and relationships individuals have that enable them to access resources or support.

[00:02:41] Researchers found a virtuous cycle in that there is a bi-directional relationship between social cohesion and high levels of volunteering.

[00:02:52] When more people volunteer, communities get stronger, and strong communities entice people to volunteer more.

[00:02:59] In other words, you are more likely to find a good place if volunteering is the norm because it will score high in measures such as sense of community, belonging, and neighborliness,

[00:03:10] and you are more likely to volunteer if behaving altruistically is the norm.

[00:03:17] Supercitizens are more likely to live a longer, healthier life.

[00:03:21] But there's more.

[00:03:23] People who engage in local altruism by donating their time and talents tend to live longer, healthier lives.

[00:03:31] A 2020 Harvard longitudinal study found that people with high levels of volunteering experience significantly lower mortality risk,

[00:03:40] lower risk of physical functioning limitations, and much higher self-rated health.

[00:03:45] The results must at least be partially explained by the clear sense of purpose that volunteering provides.

[00:03:53] Separate research has found that people with an articulated purpose, particularly in regard to a cause greater than themselves,

[00:04:00] live longer, healthier lives.

[00:04:03] Social scientists observed that many people experience a crisis in purpose,

[00:04:08] often hitting young people and retirees the hardest.

[00:04:11] Ironically, these two groups on the surface tend to have the greatest availability for volunteering.

[00:04:19] Carefully consider the dimensions of place.

[00:04:23] Considering social cohesion is a reminder that place is not just physical, it is foundational for healthy longevity.

[00:04:31] The right place meets our environmental, health, community, and financial needs and desires.

[00:04:37] There's also more than a physical dwelling.

[00:04:40] This is critical.

[00:04:41] To the extent our understanding of and search for the right place overemphasizes what exists within our four walls,

[00:04:49] we are likely to underemphasize some of the factors that may make a greater difference over the longer term,

[00:04:56] such as the social cohesion of the neighborhood and broader community.

[00:05:00] Note that particularly as one enters midlife and beyond, one may find that preferences in a physical dwelling may shift,

[00:05:08] like desire for less maintenance, less space, and so on, while the importance of community may increase.

[00:05:16] This is why falling unconditionally in love with our physical dwelling can be problematic,

[00:05:21] as it may blind us from factors that are ultimately more important to our long-term health longevity.

[00:05:28] Consider the implications of place and commitment.

[00:05:32] If you're troubled by the lack of social cohesion in your place, it may be time to find another place.

[00:05:39] Look for places where super-citizens exist and draft off of their altruism.

[00:05:45] However, don't underestimate the opportunity to double down on making your place better and elevating your health in the process.

[00:05:53] Your future self and your neighbors may thank you if you become a super-citizen where you presently live.

[00:06:00] And in an era of rootlessness, you may find that your place truly becomes your home.

[00:06:10] You just listened to the post titled,

[00:06:13] Calling All Super-Citizens by Ryan Frederick of Here.Life.

[00:06:17] And I'll be right back with my commentary.

[00:06:20] Thank you to Ryan.

[00:06:21] Ryan, I think this idea of super-citizens is one of the features of these places around the world called blue zones,

[00:06:28] where people tend to live longer on average than the rest of the world.

[00:06:33] And there's one blue zone somewhat close to me in Southern California, which is nice.

[00:06:37] But anyway, something these locations have in common is a strong sense of community.

[00:06:43] And these groups really do seem to have more social glue, as Ryan called it.

[00:06:49] There's an article that my brother narrated over on Optimal Health Daily from the Blue Zones website.

[00:06:54] And it's titled,

[00:06:56] Why Volunteering is One of the Most Powerful Things You Can Do for Your Health.

[00:07:00] It really made me think about possibilities for myself.

[00:07:04] I know my brother used to volunteer back in high school for the local hospital.

[00:07:08] I think they're called candy stripers.

[00:07:11] And while he didn't want to do it at first,

[00:07:13] he really grew to love it and volunteered probably over like a thousand hours or something crazy like that.

[00:07:19] Oh, and you can hear that article being narrated on Optimal Health Daily.

[00:07:23] That was episode 1543.

[00:07:25] But anyway, hopefully this one today sparked something in you to look into.

[00:07:30] We could all use more super-citizens.

[00:07:32] With that, thank you for being here and being a super listener of this show.

[00:07:37] Have a great rest of your day and I'll see you tomorrow for the Friday show,

[00:07:41] where your optimal life awaits.