Social Goals And Community Involvement Are Promoted By Leading Organizations

The following post was written and/or published as a collaboration between Benzinga’s in-house sponsored content team and a financial partner of Benzinga.

It goes without saying that last year forced people to reflect and plan ahead. In the last year, you might have experienced shaky ground in an array of personal arenas — financial, social, mental and physical. 

In 2021, making resolutions will resonate with longevity and financial stability. 

Defining Personal Plans in 2021

Many people want to look ahead and reprioritize their goals and abilities in the current world atmosphere. Social goals and social responsibility are areas of personal welfare that are spiking. 

More and more people are creating community-based goals for themselves, their families and their organizations. As unemployment rises and health conditions have worsened, people are setting aside resources, whether time or money or both, to touch lives and contribute to the world’s social problems.  

Creating Goals and Pursuing a Purpose 

Research has shown that giving back to others provides a sense of accomplishment and prolonged feelings of happiness. Embracing a sense of purpose increases feelings of happiness, a known mechanism to fight depression, anxiety and stress.  

Life insurance carriers may, and often do, inquire about mental health status and the applicant’s involvement in his or her community. The better your health, the better your life insurance rates, premiums, and variety of life insurance coverage plans. 

Research Shows Happiness Motivates Health

Research has shown that finding and pursuing a passion or a purpose generates motivation and an approach for improving the quality of life. Harvard Business Review cites that pursuing a passion outside of the workplace has benefits such as increased levels of engagement and retention as well as creativity, in the actual work palace. This increases the level of purpose and boosts a personal sense of self. To differ from a sense of passion, which could be a short term initiative without the commitment needed to succeed. 

Researchers collected data in 2015 from more than 2,000 high-school students regarding depression symptoms. Teens shown as clinically depressed but were involved socially were considered mentally healthy doubled their chances of getting better. 

Combined data of different researches from four large studies that followed the physical and mental wellbeing of thousands of Americans ages 12 through 91. They concluded that the more socially connected a person is, the lower their blood pressure, allowing for longevity and decrease future long-term expenses such as life insurance and health care. Turns out, that without social interaction or plans the body produces more of the hormones associated with stress, which can lead to high blood pressure.

A study of 300,000 people showed that people who have strong social ties, many of which are due to social involvement, have a 50% better chance of survival than people who don't. A study from Australia found that in their study group, those with the most friends or acquaintances outlived those with the fewest friends by 22%. 

Happiness Benefits Quality of Life and Life Insurance Coverage Rates

Spending valuable time making a difference provides long-lasting health benefits. Both the long-term and short-term benefits promote physical and emotional health, improving the quality of life. This sense of a better life, a more fulfilling lifestyle, promotes actions that benefit one's state even more. Whether it’s eating healthy, exercising, and getting enough sleep, achieving goals in all these areas aids the quality of life to soar. This translates into motivation for better financial planning, one of which may be lower rates on life insurance as life expectancy grows, as insurance companies look favorably upon those that are in good standing of both mental and physical well being. 

Today these providers focus on a 360-degree approach to wellness, including inquiries about day-to-day rituals and activities, social interactions and family connections, even allowing no-exam life insurance applications. Working towards social goals promotes candid answers to life insurance questionnaires, receiving favorable life insurance quotes accordingly, and achieving results in something different can be a source of motivation that can spill over to your career.

Achieving Social Goals Checklist

To achieve social goals defining future plans and personal fulfillment, there are certain steps to consider. Planning is crucial here, as it is in other aspects of life from planning a child's future needs to end of life decisions and actions for those that are aging, whether healthy or not. 

• Defining interests: Understand the concerns felt for a group or social issues.
• Researching and learning the field: Finding and learning the needs available to make a global social impact. 
• Schedule time: Understanding the personal time commitment needed and scheduling accordingly to fit into a schedule. If resources of time are scarce, financial commitments are popular as well.
• Review personal abilities: Address personal skills, expertise, and talents making sure the goal is attainable.
• Prioritize: Review the goal based on importance, priorities, and time devotion. 

Today there are plenty of tools to evaluate and assist in achieving social goals. There are agencies that aggregate organizations and communities that welcome volunteering and the involvement of outside members willing to donate time, skills, and donations. Health providers have also grown their professional services and outreach to drive mental and social wellness awareness. Life insurance carriers have recently added full sections of inquiry in applications relating to social involvement, hobbies, and interactions with people in their nearby community. 

Life Insurance Carriers Support the Pursuit of Social Achievement 

The importance of creating social goals and acting on them has been shown to create a healthier lifestyle, lower stress, alleviate depression, and increase feelings of hope meaning promoting a longer more meaningful life. This in turn, after filling out an online life insurance application prompts lower priced life insurance premiums, more extensive life insurance packages, a broad choice of life insurance carriers.  

One such company promoting better life choices, quality of life, and health is Sproutt online life insurance. Their goal is to provide tools for their applicants to become healthier, both in mind and body, to provide the most fitting life insurance coverage based on needs, budget, and qualifications. Creating social goals for the next year, and beyond, can assist significantly in this process. 

Like Sproutt, other organizations have finally realized that encouraging, promoting, and supporting the individual's need and desire to be socially involved and an active and contributing member to their community has its advantages (ensuring health and positive attitudes) and are working towards alleviating this connection. Whether through online resources or even monetary perks, the end goal is to promote involvement, fostering thriving and more motivated individuals and hence a better-functioning workplace. 

The preceding post was written and/or published as a collaboration between Benzinga’s in-house sponsored content team and a financial partner of Benzinga. Although the piece is not and should not be construed as editorial content, the sponsored content team works to ensure that any and all information contained within is true and accurate to the best of their knowledge and research. This content is for informational purposes only and not intended to be investing advice.