Community is key to longevity.

It’s the holidays and whether you're surrounded by people or spending more time alone, this season has a very real way of surfacing how we feel about connection. I know people who are deeply lonely right now—and just as many who feel overwhelmed, up to their ears in gatherings, logistics, and endless expectations to be “on.”

Both experiences reveal the same truth: our relationships shape our health—mental, emotional, and physical.

I grew up steeped in peak individualism, with the belief that health was something I could earn entirely on my own: eat right, work hard, sleep well, stay focused. There’s value in that mindset—but it’s only half the truth. The other half is interdependence.

And the science on interdependence is clear. Who we spend time with doesn’t just affect our moods, it changes our health trajectory.

• If a close friend becomes obese, your own risk increases by 57% (New England Journal of Medicine, 2007)

• You’re more likely to smoke—and less likely to successfully quit—if your friends are smokers (Psychology of Addictive Behavior, 2015)

Social contagion is real. But so is positive influence.

As we close out the year, I’ve been reflecting on how much of my own health is shaped by the people around me. “Build community” often sounds like a vague wellness slogan, but the pathways through which our social connections impact our longevity are very real. 

Here are five science-backed ways to build social connection that strengthens your body and extends your healthspan.

⚡️ Forward this protocol

One of the most powerful ways to change your longevity and kill holiday stress? 

Do one group workout per week and get twice the benefit. 

Research shows people who exercise in groups see dramatically greater benefits than solo exercisers—even if they work out less.

Participants in a group class reported:

• 26% reduction in perceived stress

• 24% improvement in physical health

• 26% boost in emotional well-being

Meanwhile, those who worked out alone (or with one friend) saw virtually no change in stress or mood—despite working out twice as long (Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, 2017).

If you’re still in your solo, pandemic-era fitness groove, this is your sign: text a friend, book the class, start a crew.

🤓 What to know: Community is one of the strongest predictors of long-term health. 

The data is unambiguous: strong social ties are as important as not smoking and more predictive than exercise when it comes to long-term health.

If you're optimizing protein intake, exercise, and sleep, but neglecting connection, you're missing a key longevity pillar.

Here’s what the research shows:

❤️ Connection protects your heart.

• Loneliness raises cardiovascular disease risk by 30% (Current Cardiology Reports, 2021).

→ Social support lowers blood pressure, inflammation, and sympathetic nervous system overdrive.

🧠 It strengthens your brain.

• Regular connection reduces dementia risk by up to 40–60% (Aging Research Reviews, 2015).

→ Social engagement increases BDNF and synaptic plasticity.

🔥 It lowers chronic inflammation.

• Loneliness increases inflammatory markers (CRP, IL-6) and weakens immune resilience (Social Psychology, 2021). 

→ Supportive relationships buffer cortisol and lower allostatic load.

🧬 It slows biological aging.

• Women with strong social ties show slower epigenetic aging (Brain, Behavior & Immunity, 2025).

→ Oxytocin release during social bonding improves mitochondrial efficiency and metabolic health (IJSRA, 2024). 

🩺 It improves recovery.

• People with strong social networks recover faster from infections (American Journal of Medicine, 2025). 

→ Support buffers the body's stress response, reducing harmful inflammation and promoting relaxation.

💪 What to do: Don’t go your longevity journey alone.   

Longevity can sometimes feel like a lonely quest. You skip drinks with friends to protect your sleep, miss slow mornings with family to squeeze in a workout, and make choices most people don’t see or understand.

This year, I started bringing others into my health practices and it changed everything. Here’s how to do it in a way that supports your healthspan and your relationships.

👯 Option 1: Turn Zone 2 into your social hour. 

Zone 2 cardio (your “talking pace”) is great for mitochondria, metabolic flexibility, and cardiovascular health—it’s ideal for connection.

Social walking groups are associated with lower depression and improved cardiovascular markers (British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2015).

Try this:

• Replace one drink date per week with a 60 minute interval walk.

• Alternate 3 min brisk / 3 min conversational, at least 6 times. 

💦 Option 2: Trade holiday dinners for sauna catch-ups.

Every restaurant in the city is packed with friend groups having their annual holiday dinner. Move yours to a bathhouse where you can catch up in the sauna: 

Why sauna is a longevity tool:

• 40% lower all-cause mortality (BMC Medicine, 2015)

• 50% lower cardiovascular mortality (BMC Medicine, 2015)

• Sauna + cold plunge can lower stress for 12 hours (PLOS One, 2025)

Try this:

• Use the “three-round protocol”: 10 minutes heat → 1 minute cold → 5 minutes rest.

🪩 Option 3: Go dancing. 

Fun, yes. But also neurologically protective.

Why it matters:

• Reduces dementia risk in older adults by 76%—more than any other activity studied (New England Journal of Medicine, 2003).

• Boosts BDNF, the brain’s longevity molecule (Clinical Interventions in Aging, 2024).

🍳 Option 4: Host a longevity breakfast club. 

Most people default to dinner. But mornings offer a biological edge for connection.

Why it works:

• We’re wired for sociability earlier in the day (serotonin peaks in the a.m.)

• Avoids the cortisol spike and sleep disruption that comes with late-night plans.

Try this:

• Host 2–3 friends once a month. 

• Keep it simple: High-protein, high-fiber spread—eggs, chia pudding, berries, turkey sausage.

🤝 Option 5: Create a shared longevity ritual.

This is small but powerful. Shared rituals increase oxytocin, deepen trust, and create rhythm.

Try this:

Choose one person and one recurring ritual:

• Monday matcha + 10-minute walk

• Friday sauna check-in

• Monthly health goals review

Forward them this newsletter and make it a thing.

💛 The Momgevity Files

Hanukkah kicked off this weekend and Christmas is right around the corner, and I’ve been thinking a lot about routine. The holidays can start to feel expected, even monotonous—same foods, same rituals, same logistics every year. But a parenting podcast I listened to recently reminded me that routine is powerful for children, and so is tradition.

These familiar moments that happen year after year become the architecture of childhood. They’re how our kids make sense of a world that feels increasingly volatile and overstimulating. They form the core memories we return to for the rest of our lives.

It’s tempting at holiday parties to list all the trips and events we have planned, to share the highlight reel. But life isn’t meant to be an endless string of “peak experiences,” no matter what social media tells us.

I was appreciating this over the weekend as we added tinsel to the tree. I felt a wave of nostalgia and a renewed appreciation for the simple things we’ve always done: buying the Christmas tree, decorating it, the familiar ornaments that each carry a little pocket of memory. I’m usually the first one downstairs in the morning, and I always beeline to plug in the tree and marvel at the glow. I love how beautiful it is.

We kicked off Hanukkah this weekend too. In the past few years, our tradition has been giving to a different charity for the first seven nights, and then on the eighth night the kids get a present. I like that we’re shifting the focus away from the gift avalanche and toward giving back. Because we celebrate Christmas too, it can otherwise feel like an onslaught of presents in a “too much” way. We’ve created our own tradition and found a modern balance, while upholding what has always been.

The pursuit of longevity can feel like an attempt to outrun mortality. But longevity is also about remembering the long line of people we come from—those who set traditions generations before us. People we never met, but whose lives have informed our experiences today. It’s carrying forward those traditions through time, shaping them, passing them on, and creating memories that ground us in who we are. It’s slowing the clock enough to appreciate the passage of time, without trying to stop it entirely.

Stay strong, stay curious and breathe,

Robin

⚡️ One last thing…

🎁 In the mad dash to check off everyone your gift list, don’t forget yourself! Give yourself the gift of knowing what your labs actually mean and getting help from a doctor. 

BYO labs or add on PH longevity labs to the visit (both FSA/HSA eligible!).

Here’s to a healthier, more informed, 2026!

As always, this newsletter is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making any health decisions or changes to your treatment plan.