Five Reasons To Call Your Mom, According to Science

By KAREN MOTTARELLA

By nature, humans are social beings. Social distancing does not mean you should suddenly become a hermit and detach from others. A call or digital chat can really help someone else, like your mom or your grandparents. Social contact will make this stressful time easier on them.  Below are five reasons why you should call, text and FaceTime with your mom and other people in your life during this period of social distancing:

1. When you reach out and connect with someone it is likely to increase their sense of belonging.
2. Regular social contact has been shown to contribute to reduced medical problems like high blood pressure.
3. Contact from you by phone, text and/or a digital chat may also have mental health benefits. Social connection increases resiliency during stressful times. It can protect us from developing psychological problems or can prevent exacerbation of existing mental health issues.
4. During social distancing or quarantine, an individual is cut off from many of their normal ways of coping with stress, such as going to the gym, going to the movies or attending religious services. Regular contact with you can help temporarily replace these absent coping mechanisms.
5. Individuals who are socially connected actually show increased productivity in the workplace. So reaching out to your mom, grandparents or at-risk individuals may actually help your job performance as well.

About the author: Dr. Mottarella joined UCF in 1998 as the Coordinator (& Instructor) of Undergraduate Advising for the Psychology Department. She received her Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) degree from the Florida Institute of Technology in 1993 and is currently licensed as a psychologist in the state of Florida. Prior to joining the UCF faculty, Dr. Mottarella was a Program Director for a community mental health agency and developed multiple outreach programs for at-risk children and their families. She was also a member of the Family Services Planning Team and the Child Abuse Prevention Task Force in Brevard County. Her clinical interests include in-home counseling and outreach models, and psychological assessment, particularly assessment and intervention of learning disabilities in adults.