I was so sad this week to read that @CherryMorello had passed away. I didn’t know her – she’s someone I have followed on Twitter for a long time, and she was living with Stage 4 bowel cancer. Her posts were so honest as she shared her experiences with humour and candour, even up to her last few messages.
The saying ‘Remember to smile at a stranger, and their dog’ is hers. It’s something she often ended her message threads with, and I always thought it was such a lovely sentiment.
Earlier in the week I was having a chat with someone who told me that their new year resolution was to smile at people they walked past. And stop for a chat if it felt right to do so. Isn’t that lovely? I’ve realised in recent months how important those tiny moments can be – and how, while they can start small, before you know it you are chatting properly with the people you see regularly. Having a cute dog definitely helps with that!
It’s well documented that social isolation and loneliness can have a profound negative effect on our mental and physical health, and those micro interactions – a friendly smile, a small chat, or a shared moment – really help our sense of connection in everyday life. While it’s very important to acknowledge they are two different things, isolation and loneliness can also be linked. A recent report in Fortune magazine stated that ‘Social isolation is linked to a 50% increased risk of dementia and an increased risk of other chronic conditions, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One study found the health consequences of loneliness are on par with smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day.’ Those are mindblowing stats, that obviously have a massive effect on healthcare and other services. It’s a challenge I’d love to be part of tackling as a service designer.
So, for now, while it may only be a small thing, I am going to take a leaf out of @CherryMorello’s book, and smile at a stranger (and their dog) just a bit more. You never know the difference it might make to someone’s day.
There’s is a helpful list of loneliness resources on the Mind website, and charities like AgeUK – who run brilliant friendship services that help lonely older people – are always looking for volunteers. And let me know if you start smiling at strangers too 😀.