the Biblical admonition<\/a> to do unto others as you’d have them do unto you.<\/p>\n“Social capital turns out to have forceful, even quantifiable effects on many different aspects of our lives,” writes Putnam. “What is at stake is not merely warm, cuddly feeling or [community pride]…Our schools and neighborhoods don’t work so well when community bonds slacken<\/strong>…Our economy, our democracy, and even our health and happiness depend on adequate stocks of social capital.”<\/p>\nWhen we don’t interact with each other, when we isolate ourselves inside our homes, we have less motive to help our neighbors and improve our communities.<\/p>\n
Putnam differentiates between bonding<\/em> social capital and bridging<\/em> social capital. “Bonding social capital constitutes a kind of sociological superglue,” he writes, “whereas bridging social capital provides a sociological WD-40.”<\/p>\n\n- Bonding social capital creates strong in-group loyalty. (And thus may create strong out-group antagonism.) Examples of this sort of inward-directed networking include church groups, country clubs, and college fraternities and sororities. I think of bonding social capital as “strong ties with intimate friends”. The older I get, the less have of this, and I miss it.<\/li>\n
- Bridging social capital creates connections across societal boundaries. Examples of this outward-facing form of networking include bowling leagues, national organizations…and my dog-walking group. I think of bridging social capital as weak ties with acquaintances. I believe I have lots of this, which is great.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
In short, bonding social capital is built in homogeneous groups (where people are similar) and bridging social capital is built in between heterogenous groups (of dissimilar folks). Both types are great. The latter is more difficult to build and maintain, but tends to provide the most value to individuals and society.<\/p>\n
Note:<\/strong><\/em> Often interactions contain elements of both bridging and bonding social capital. For our purposes at Money Boss, I’m not going to differentiate between the two. I’m simply going to talk about “social capital” as a single, unified idea. If you want a more scholarly exploration of the subject, I encourage you to borrow a copy of Bowling Alone<\/em> from your local library.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/span>Boosting Social Capital<\/span><\/h2>\nAccording to Putnam’s research, social capital has eroded over the past few decades. There’s less of it in U.S. society today than there was fifty years ago.<\/p>\n
“The ebbing of community over the last several decades has been silent and deceptive,” writes Putnam. “Weakened social capital is manifest in the things that have vanished almost unnoticed — neighborhood parties and get-togethers with friends, the unreflective kindness of strangers, the shared pursuit of the public good rather than a solidary quest for private goods.”<\/p>\n
Boosting social capital will benefit you and<\/em> your community.<\/strong> “Trustworthiness lubricates social life,” says Putnam.<\/p>\nWhen I think of social capital, I’m always reminded of our condo. It’s easy for the homeowners in our building to turtle up, to stay inside and not<\/em> interact with neighbors. But doing so creates barriers rather than build bonds. So, we as a community have made a conscious effort to foster fellowship, to get to know each other. As a result, we’re much more likely to lend a hand when a neighbor needs assistance.<\/p>\nPeople with lots of social capital can find help when they need it; those with little social capital tend to spend a lot of time frustrated and alone.<\/p>\n
The classic Christmas film It’s a Wonderful Life<\/em> is a great illustration of social capital in action. Jimmy Stewart plays George Bailey, a man who repeatedly goes out of his way to help friends and neighbors. When disaster strikes, everyone he’s helped before comes to his aid.<\/p>\n
![\"Dogwalkers](\"https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/31634382041_96f6b0d3a2.jpg\" "\\"Dogwalkers")
Every morning at about 7:30, I take the dog for a walk. As a nine-month old hound, Tahlequah is a bundle of energy. If she doesn’t get exercise, my day is miserable. She torments the cats. She barks at passersby. She destroys anything she can get her paws on. I used to view these walks as a nuisance, but now I recognize they’re beneficial to both man and beast.<\/p>\n