Welcome to the Daily Concept

Today’s issue covers Mongolians & Social Connectedness.

Tomorrow’s issue will explore the concept of sovereign wealth funds.

Earlier this month, Gallup and Meta published The Global State of Social Connections Report based on survey data from 142 countries.

The survey found that over 7 out of 10 adults worldwide feel "very" or "fairly" connected to people in their lives.

In the vast majority of countries, more than half of people feel the same way. About a quarter of the global population reported feeling "very" or "fairly" lonely, while 49% reported not feeling lonely "at all."

The report defines “social connectedness” as “how close you feel to people emotionally.” “People” could include friends, family, coworkers, neighbors, people from groups you are a part of, and strangers.

You might be surprised to discover that Mongolians are the most socially connected people in the world, with 95% of Mongolians reporting that they feel “very” or “fairly” connected to other people.

It is especially surprising given that Mongolia is one of the least densely populated countries in the world, with just 6 Mongolians per square mile.

So, why are Mongolians so socially connected?

Mongolians feel so connected to one another because of the unique and somewhat ancient way they live.

About 30% of Mongolians still live a nomadic lifestyle, and many of the other 70% still live in tent houses called Gers or Yurts. #YurtLife has been embraced by Mongolians and foreigners who admire the self-reliant yet communal lifestyle practiced by the Mongolian people.

Inside of a ger, up to 10 or more family members can live side-by-side. They cook together, eat together, and generally sleep together on Japanese-style beddings on the floor.

Ger neighborhoods can be found in the Mongolian capital city of Ulaanbaatar near high-rise apartments, and in rural Mongolia gers are the primary form of housing available. Even in Ulaanbaatar, up to 60% of people live in informal ger districts.

Mongolians who live in cities or abroad often return to their family's ger in the summertime, helping to maintain familial and community connections that might otherwise disintegrate with time and distance.

Research has found that Mongolians who live in gers report higher rates of satisfaction than those living in urban dwellings, largely due to Mongolians' preference for independence and living in nature.

One Mongolian named Tuga Namgur told journalist Katya Cengel that gers help Mongolian people maintain their connection to nature — and each other.

"In order to survive in the wilderness as nomads we have to rely on each other… Family is everything to my culture."

Mongolian Metal

Tuga’s brother is a member of the world-famous Mongolian metal band, The Hu. 

The Hu uses traditional Mongolian instruments like the horsehead fiddle and the Mongolian guitar alongside traditional Mongolian throat singing.

One of the band's members explained that they are trying to “spiritually express this beautiful thing about Mongolian music. We think we will talk to everyone's soul through our music."

The video for one of their most popular songs, Wolf Totem, features a Mongol man riding a horse in the traditional style being followed across the steppe by a band of fellow Mongols on motorcycles. Badass.

Mongols & Community

Do we have any lessons to learn from the Mongolians? It could be that the nature of their nomadic lifestyle forces them to rely closely on friends & family, or what we might think of as their tribe. Harsh conditions, limited resources, and vast empty spaces may have a way of bringing people together. Who knew?

ART OF THE DAY

Thank you for reading. Please reply to this email if you have any thoughts or feedback.

Yours,
Dan