It is no secret that in recent years, the way we socialize has been altered to make it easier to opt out of seeing people. Take back control over social well-being and opt in, even when it is uncomfortable or hard.

As high schoolers lost key moments of childhood and social development stages in lieu of protecting loved ones and themselves, they had to put their mental and social well-being on the back burner. But as the lockdown and many restrictions have been lifted, society resists returning to the pre-pandemic normal. It has become so easy to opt out of a social or school function with the easy excuse of illness or just “not feeling it.”

SPA specifically is not a stranger to this issue. According to a Community Day feedback poll sent by Dean of Students Stacy Tepp, almost 25% of the student body was absent on the most recent Community Day. While many attendance notes marked illness as a cause for truancy, many of these people were present the days before and after. While many people seem to be able to show up for classes, when it is time to show up and be a part of the greater school community, there are empty seats.

While not showing up to school may only put one person behind in class, not showing up in social settings is causing societal damage. According to a report in the Psychological Bulletin, the lack of social attachment leads to adverse psychological effects and results in fatigue, increased drowsiness, and impaired cognitive function. On a larger scale, the prevalence of acute and chronic anxiety and depression spiked during the pandemic, and numbers are stubborn to go down. The World Health Organization reports a 25% increase in the prevalence of anxiety and depression worldwide.

The issue is not that people no longer want to socialize, but more that after the pandemic, it has become that much harder to socialize and infinitely easier to send a “hey, not feeling well” text to get out of a hangout. And, with the loss of third spaces such as cafes, libraries, and community centers, most of Gen Z’s socializing is done online. A survey done by Common Sense Census found that the average screen time has increased from 5 hours a day to 8 hours a day from 2015 to 2021, respectively.

The best way to repel people from opting out is to opt in. According to a 2022 study published in Frontiers in Psychology, the gold standard for treating social anxiety is exposure therapy. In other words, the best way to make socializing easier is to socialize. Show up when people expect you to and when they rely on you. For school events like Community Day, do not assume your presence will not be missing or go unnoticed. For family and friends, put in the effort they deserve.
Next time someone asks you to hang out, opt in.