Ep.15 - The case for compassion: why social connection is an underrated health hack, with Dr. Julian Abel

Conversations on health often centre around what to eat, how to move, when to sleep… But there’s a health lever most of us tend to overlook: social connection. 

In 2016, the Frome Project, a Somerset-based research initiative, found that we could reduce emergency hospital admissions by 14%, not with a miracle drug, but with more intentional community connections. 

This week, Greg and Charlie sit down with one of the minds behind this project: Dr. Julian Abel. Julian has spent his clinical career as a palliative care consultant, sitting with people at the very end of their lives, an experience that set him on a path to lead remarkable research into how relationships can measurably improve our health. Today, he is the director of a charity called Compassionate Communities UK and a public health specialist on the science of social connection.

In this conversation, Julian shares the story behind the Frome Project, and helps us understand how compassion can be a tool to improve the healthcare system and our social life more broadly. The science section takes us deep into the biology of social connection: how loneliness and social isolation change our gene expression, suppress our immune systems, and drive inflammation. You’ll also find out how relationships can reverse that process.

In the practice segment, Julian turns the tables and asks Charlie and Greg what their relationship to community is. They discuss the every day activities that bring them joy, and Julian demonstrates how new connections can be woven into existing routines. We get into:

• What connection feels like and how to magnify it in existing habits (25:53)
• Is modern life getting in the way of building meaningful relationships? (30:18)
• Why third spaces and organised group activities are fertile grounds for social connection (32:35)

Finally, in the experience section, we hear from listeners navigating some of the most sensitive versions of this challenge. A mum in London who has watched her social world shrink since the pandemic; a full-time carer who is struggling to maintain a social life; and how to reconnect with community during a period of grief. 

If you’d like to send us your health questions for future episodes, remember to email us a voice note or write in at themethod@thriva.co.

Sources

• Julian Abel’s Book - The Compassion Project 
• The Frome Project Research - British Journal of General Practice
• Julianne Holt-Lunstad’s Meta-analytic Review: Loneliness and social isolation as risk factors for mortality
• Steve Cole’s Research on Human Social Genomics
• Greg Potter’s Website
• Greg Potter’s Instagram
• Thriva’s Website

About Thriva
Thriva is a proactive health platform built for the modern age. The promise of longevity often comes with years spent in poor health. We want to bridge the gap between lifespan – how long we’re living – and healthspan – how well we’re living. We combine powerful at-home blood testing with wearable insights and expert guidance. So you can know exactly what’s going on inside your body – and what to do about it – before issues arise. With this podcast, we hope to bring listeners confidence in everyday health decisions.
To learn more about Thriva’s values and services, visit thriva.co.