Do you do things like sleep or jog or read alone? Did you know that even when you do these things by or with yourself you are engaged in human social behavior? In this post, Sarah Nell explains the sometimes subtle ways we are connected to others, making nearly everything we do, social behavior.
I often start off a new sociology course with the reminder that sociology is the study of human social behavior. Sometimes it can be hard to see how our behaviors are social. In fact, when I ask my students to give me examples of social behavior, they often don’t have much to say other than things related to social occasions like parties. So I usually get the class to give me examples of behaviors that are NOT social to get us going. I start with this so we can weed out some of the things we’re NOT talking about. When I ask my students for examples of non-social behavior, I get examples like this:
- Jogging alone
- Reading
- Breathing
- Sleeping
- Showering
- Studying alone
- Eating alone
After we get a good list going of so-called non-social behaviors, I select a few of the easier ones to show how they are, in fact, social.
I am always struck by how many examples have the qualifier “alone.” Just because we do something alone does not mean it is non-social. Reading is a good example.
Just because we do something alone does not mean it is non-social.
Although the majority of reading we do as adults is something we do alone, quietly, and to ourselves, reading is a social behavior because (but not limited to): (1) we learned to read through our interactions and relationships with others; (2) interactions among others made the book we are reading possible (authors, editors, printers, truck drivers, booksellers); (3) we learned to interpret the meanings conveyed through our interactions in society; (4) we may be reading this for a class in which we will discuss the reading with others, and so on. So reading is not really non-social behavior. It is quite social in a sociological sense.
Invariably, to counter some of the reasons I’ve shown that reading is non-social behavior someone shouts out. “What about sleeping? Sleeping is a physiological need. Everyone has to do it.” Ah, foiled again! True, we all need sleep. But sleeping is incredibly social! And I don’t just mean “sleeping” when used as a proxy for sex (as in ‘sleeping with’), but I also mean that. Sleeping with someone else is not only social because it involves another human, but also because of the cultural norms that dictate (or suggest) with whom we should or shouldn’t sleep, when, and for what reasons.
If we look at our sleeping behaviors, even when we are alone, we can see that sleep is culturally conditioned. The time considered appropriate to sleep is shaped by cultural and subcultural conventions (e.g., what day it is, what your work hours are, if you are in college[1], a baby or toddler [or caregiver of one] or elderly). There is also growing evidence that napping increases productivity and brainpower for people of all ages. This is not only possible to know because of science (social), but also reflects a cultural obsession with productivity (also social).
Then I talk about pillows. I love pillows. I admit to having more than necessary because I need them to feel comfortable. But this “need” is socially constructed–the wide availability and affordability of pillows in my culture has allowed me to develop such a “need.” The normative physical environments we sleep in are culturally-specific. They also depend upon social class. In the U.S., many people have their own beds (except for married or co-habitating couples, families who choose to co-sleep, or those who can’t afford it) and comfort objects (blankets, pillows, pajamas, etc.). And many children have their own beds in their own rooms!
In the U.S., we often take for granted as necessary such sleep equipment and sleeping environments. In other parts of the world, these objects are non-existent or enjoyed only by the richest people. If you don’t think sleeping is social, read this and look at these pictures.
The point is this: When sociologists say “social behavior” we do not mean “being social,” in the popular use of the phrase. Social behavior is much more than simply being around others, conversing with others, or being in a public place with others. Rather, we refer to behavior that connects us with others through interaction—obvious and subtle, concrete and abstract. We refer to behavior that reflects and constructs cultural and environmental realities. Thus, from a sociological point of view, we can do social behavior even when we are alone.
Dig Deeper:
- How are your personal sleep habits social? Make a list of all the ways you are connected to others through your sleep.
- What other activities that you do alone can be considered social when viewed through a sociological lens?
- What are the potential benefits of seeing the social nature of our behaviors? What are the consequences for not seeing it?
- Let’s play “Stump The Teacher”. Create a list of solo activities that you feel are not social. Then in class challenge your classmates or your teacher to tell you how they are, in fact, social.