Behind other states in life satisfaction BC

Katrina Martin always finds it easy to make friends I was there. Until she moves to Vancouver.

"In a rural community, there is a sense of community," I have your back, you have mine "." Martin, who grew up, said he is in a small town in Ontario.

Marketing professionals lived in Toronto and other big cities. When she arrived in Vancouver, she thought it would be easy to make a new vest. "I was completely wrong. It was really hard to make friends and I was really lonely."

She is about to return to Ontario after spending her first long rainy winter here. But when she saw all the people gathering at Kit Beach on the first sunny day of May, she exploded hope. It was short-lived. "People don't get mixed up here."

She was confused by a group of people on the beach or in a bar, and she said, "How can I get one of those friend groups?" I was wondering.

Four years after Martin posted theTikTok video, Vancouver complained of lack of friendliness, 10 from the Vancouver Foundation's Connect and Engage survey. Years later, four Vancouvers felt isolated. Thesurvey, published in Nature, is data collected from 10 Canadian Community Health Surveys and was common in British Columbia, Canada, between 2009 and 2018. It shows that the satisfaction level of life has improved. Showed the slowest growth.

According to the survey, social support and life satisfaction were positively correlated after adjusting for age, gender, income, and other factors. In other words, we need others. This study suggests that strengthening social support may be an important factor in improving life satisfaction.

Statistics Canada data released last weekalso show that the East Coast is moving forward, with Newfoundland and Labrador people. 61.7% report very satisfied Their lives are only 46.5% of those who live in BC. Say the same thing.

Nationwide, rural people appreciate purpose (65%) and life satisfaction (57.6%) compared to urban dwellers (57.5% and 50.6%, respectively). Did. Rural people also reported less loneliness and a very strong sense of belonging to the community.

Martin said that building a community must be "very intentional". She used the friend-finding app BumbleBFF and Instagram to identify people who did something of interest, such as hiking.

"In the end, I made a realistic and lasting friendship."

In 2021, Martin was a social group for all ages. We should Be Friends (@weshouldbefriendsVancouver on Instagram) has started. Last fall, 200 strangers appeared at her first social gathering at Kitsilano Beach. With name tags, card games, spikeballs, and volunteers to help make connections, the hassle goes away quickly. "Everyone who comes is on the same ship," Martin said.

SFU social psychologist Lara Aknin said, "Surveys in many disciplines report that people with a high level of social connection have a high level of happiness."

Studies show that even casual contact can improve that very important sense of connection. "Even those who talk to strangers report a higher level of happiness," Aknin said.

Aknin said she asked her what the barista was doing when she first returned to her neighborhood cafe after her pandemic stopped. It was a casual yet welcome connection. "I probably gave her a 15-minute response because we were so deprived."

Aknin says the numbers show that life satisfaction in rural areas is high in society. He said it highlights the importance of connection.

"In a local community, people may have more opportunities to connect with their neighbors."

If you want to build a livable and dense urban community, find a way to build social connections That is very important. Meg Holden, a professor of urban studies and a member of theHeyNeighborgroup.

"We are densified, we don't live in places where we connect with our families, and many live alone, so there may be things we can do with housing programs and different planning methods. "She said.

Her new approach can include design elements such as amenity spaces.Residents do not feel trapped in the unit and feel like a helpless tenant rather than having more opportunities to connect and engage as a community.

"These design elements tend to create value from homes without attention or attention," Holden said. "To achieve a healthy and connected community, change is needed. Social isolation and life satisfaction go together."

"What people have The most important thing we can do is the community, "Martin said. "Loneliness and isolation have a physiological effect. I haven't had a group of friends for a few years. I have it now, and that's something I don't take for granted."

dryan@postmedia.com