Why is social capital important for political engagement and economic growth? How do our community connections impact our health?
In Bowling Alone, Robert Putnam argues that social capital is important for society to function smoothly. When people trust each other, they participate more in democracy, support local businesses, and develop leadership skills.
Read more to discover how maintaining strong social networks helps the world go round.
Why Social Capital Is Important
Why is social capital important? On a macro level, Putnam writes that social capital is needed for society to function smoothly, both in politics and economics. In terms of governing, representative democracy works only if people participate, which they’re far more likely to do if they feel kinship with each other. When people organize locally, it helps their voices be heard and their needs to be addressed by those in power. Political involvement brings other benefits too—when people unite, they have to learn to work together, resolve their differences, and develop leadership skills. Social capital doesn’t just speak to power—it lifts up and nurtures the next generation of leaders.
(Shortform note: Even in the highly-polarized 21st century, political research supports Putnam’s assertions. In 2020, Stanford scholars James Fishkin and Larry Diamond conducted an experiment called “America in One Room,” in which they brought together a representative sample of 500 Americans to discuss issues from health-care reform to global warming and immigration. Through moderated, small-group discussions, the researchers found that participants developed increased empathy for their opponents and gained a better understanding of how policy proposals would affect them.)
Putnam also argues that social capital gives communities an economic boost by greasing the wheels of financial capital. The underlying mechanism is mutual cooperation based on the trust that if you help someone, one day you’ll be repaid in kind. When this communal trust is strong, people tend to patronize local businesses, wider social networks help people gain employment, and entrepreneurs can secure local funding. Putnam suggests that the trust brought about by social capital mitigates common economic speedbumps, from extending credit to businesses in need to knowing which service providers are the most reliable.
(Shortform note: The economic mechanism Putnam describes is largely unconscious, but some human service agencies deliberately use social capital as a tool to reduce poverty and create avenues for low-income families to become more upwardly mobile. Research shows that social networks are greatly defined by income level, but—for example—when support organizations use financial assistance and professional networking to help people in low-income brackets find affordable housing in higher-income neighborhoods, their economic opportunities increase, as does the availability of mentorships, new career contacts, and educational avenues.)
However, when the amount of social capital in a community decreases, so too does its reserve of neighborly trust. Putnam writes that, in the US, social trust has been falling since the 1960s, with each new generation growing up less trusting than the one before it. As a result, we’ve had to rely on the legislature and the courts to enforce the fairness we once expected our neighbors to engage in willingly. As we’ve grown apart from each other, we’ve replaced the hand of friendship with the gavel of government.
(Shortform note: Unfortunately, this problem is too large for any one person or organization to overcome—and yet, individuals are the basic building blocks that governments, businesses, and nonprofits must use if they hope to restore trust in their communities. The problem is one of aligning people’s goals, and there have been hopeful signs that such efforts can work. For instance, StriveTogether, an initiative in Cincinnati, Ohio improved the city’s educational performance not by promoting a specific agenda, but by encouraging individuals across different organizations to trust each other and work toward a shared set of goals.)
Social Capital for a Happy Life
As suggested in the example above, social capital strongly influences the quality of life for both children and adults. For instance, Putnam’s research demonstrates that, even without deliberate efforts to improve education, regions with high social capital have the highest rates of educational achievement. Specifically, high levels of adult volunteerism, organizational membership, and voter turnout all correspond to lower school dropout rates, higher test scores, and fewer childhood behavioral problems. Putnam attributes these communities’ successes to more parent-teacher cooperation in addressing the needs of both students and their schools, as well as more social opportunities for children themselves to learn, mature, and grow.
(Shortform note: Further research continues to support Putnam’s views on education—a 2018 study of Michigan schools showed that increased social capital has around four times the impact of monetary funding on school performance. The study’s authors recommend collaboration between teachers and the community to boost student learning, but in Limitless Mind, educator Jo Boaler argues that teachers can leverage social capital in the classroom itself. She explains that student collaboration on group projects engages the social networking centers of the brain as part of the knowledge-building process. It also teaches students that they don’t have to work in isolation—a lesson on social capital’s value they might carry forward as adults.)
Social Capital and Health
As we move into adulthood, the richness of our social life is strongly correlated to our overall health. Putnam cites a great many studies showing that the stronger someone’s social network is, the lower their risks of cancer, heart disease, and other forms of illness. Part of this he attributes to the documented differences in how your mind and body react to feelings of community as opposed to isolation. However, another factor to consider is that people with strong social support networks have more resources to draw on in times of illness and distress. Friends and family can provide financial resources, emotional support, and practical caregiving, while communities with high social capital are more likely to organize better health care overall.
It almost goes without saying that social capital corresponds to better mental health and overall contentment. The breadth of psychological research confirms that strong social ties help to negate or reduce feelings of depression and loneliness, while increasing people’s self-esteem. Putnam goes on further to say that when people in studies rate their feelings of happiness, taking part in community groups and activities has the same statistical positive impact as does graduating from college or getting a major raise. Of course, with social capital in the US diminishing, so too have Americans consistently reported lower levels of well-being.
| Togetherness for Holistic Health Putnam discusses the mental and physical health benefits of social capital as if they’re statistically separate phenomena, but there may be more overlap than he suggests. In Mind Over Medicine, Lissa Rankin explains how the two are intertwined. A major deficit of social capital—in the form of long-term loneliness—is one of the modern world’s primary triggers of anxiety and depression, which in turn induces your body’s stress response. While your stress response evolved to deal with temporary life-threatening situations, Rankin says the physical changes it induces are harmful to your physical health when stress is chronic. In Lost Connections, Johann Hari agrees with Rankin that our modern lack of meaningful connection is a major driver of anxiety and depression—and that our contemporary model of psychiatric care isn’t enough to treat the problem at its root. In addition to treating people’s health on an individual basis, Hari introduces the idea of social prescribing in which doctors offer patients a path to social connections through a range of structured programs such as group volunteering. Through social prescribing, physicians can use social capital to improve patients’ and society’s physical and mental health at the same time. |
