What is the importance of social sciences in everyone’s life?
Many people say that social sciences are not real sciences because, as social scientists examine a particular phenomenon, more problems arise.
They don’t solve anything but create more problems to solve. They also don’t provide solid answers as to why things are the way they are.
Real scientists can tell us exactly the role of force in our movements, but social scientists can’t create formulas to fix the exhaustion introverts feel when they are forced to socialize.
I am in the social sciences field, so what I will say is this: Social scientists don’t create more problems. Problems do exist in society, and what they do is simply make us aware of them because we are busy living.
If no one in society takes the time to look into human behavior and the impact of social factors on it, we might struggle to be happy, according to Socrates.
“The unexamined life is not worth living.” Social sciences help us examine our lives by shedding light on the realities of the world we live in.
That is why they are important.
Social Sciences Study Humans and Interactions
Every day, we navigate a bunch of relationships. We interact with our families at home, and we talk to our co-workers to lessen the boredom at work.
Even during our commute, we also meet people along the way. We may or may not talk to them depending on our mood or our personality.
But have you wondered about why you live with your family, need to work, take a specific route to work, and talk to some people and ignore some?
Social sciences can provide answers, which may involve past events, as they give frameworks to understand every interaction a human has.
Social Institutions and Structures Affect Interaction
Our interactions are shaped by larger institutions, structures, stratification, and systems we often don’t even realize are there.
If you didn’t know, family, education, religion, government, and media are social institutions that shape the way we live.
Race, gender, social class, jobs, and age also put us in categories, which affect how we are perceived by and relate to others.
Social sciences help us understand all these things so that we can decode the invisible rules of society and live more consciously.
Importance of Social Sciences in Everyone’s Life
Social sciences explain how we react, what drives our behavior, what we need to live well, and how to create solutions that we will actually use.
Learn more about the importance of social sciences in our lives below.
We Understand Why We Behave the Way We Do
Ever wonder why we conform in groups, why we procrastinate, or why we cling to certain beliefs even when faced with facts?
Psychology and sociology have answers, as they explore our motivations, fears, biases, and decision-making patterns.
Psychology is about human behavior, while sociology looks into the impact of the environment, including social institutions and other humans, on human behavior.
When we understand ourselves and others better, we communicate more clearly, manage stress more effectively, and build stronger relationships.
It helps parents become better at raising children, leaders become more effective, and individuals become more self-aware.
Are you self-aware? If not, here is how to!
We Assess Societal Problems and Solve Them
Social problems don’t just go away on their own. It takes people who can dig into the root causes and come up with real, workable solutions.
Who are those people? Social scientists! Let me provide some examples of how they may effectively address the issue of a high crime rate.
Sociologists focus on societal factors, so they may look at poverty, lack of education, and systemic inequality as the major causes of crimes.
Political scientists study governments, but they may agree with sociologists that a high crime rate is indeed a result of poverty and lack of education.
But they will add that the government doesn’t create programs that address those issues, as the officials are focused on individual interests.
These insights help us go beyond surface-level fixes and instead create policies and programs that work in the real world.
Without social sciences, we are just guessing.
We Create Policies That Address Societal Needs
Social sciences help us ask the right questions: Who will this policy affect? Will it reduce inequality? What are the unintended consequences?
Policies must be based on evidence. If policymakers create them because they “feel” that those will solve the problem, that is bad governance.
Good governance is transparent, accountable, and concerned about the public good, while bad governance is the opposite.
For example, studies in behavioral economics have shown that people are not always rational, so policies designed around “rational behavior” often fail.
What should they do? They should use emotional factors, but without manipulation, to make a policy attractive to their target.
We Make Informed Financial Decisions
All of us make financial decisions, and if we are financially illiterate, we may quickly fall into debt. Only some will be able to quickly bounce back.
You may have heard of economics in business, but it is also a social science field because society needs money to survive.
It helps us grasp how markets function, what influences prices, and why inflation happens, as well as why we overspend, how we make purchasing choices, and what motivates us to save.
You may believe that money doesn’t buy happiness, but the stress caused by not having enough money surely can lead to deep sadness.
We Become Sensitive to Other Cultures and Races
We constantly interact with people from different backgrounds. But how do they live, what do they believe in, and why do they behave in a certain way?
You can find answers in anthropology. Anthropology is quite similar to sociology, but it is focused on cultural diversity and the origin of society.
Sociology studies society in the present, while anthropology explores cultures, origins, and evolution across time, often with a historical or cross-cultural focus.
This knowledge is needed for peaceful coexistence. For sure, if you talk loudly on a train in Japan, the Japanese will not want to coexist with you.
Learn about the cultural etiquette around the world.
When we study other cultures, we realize that our way of doing things is not the only way. This leads to empathy and inclusion.
Social sciences break down stereotypes and build bridges between people who might otherwise never understand each other.
The More We Know the Society We Live in, the Better We Can Live
Want to make a change? Want to protect your rights, vote wisely, or help others? Then, understand the forces that shape your environment.
When doing something that impacts others, you must include them in your decision-making, plus the social institutions and systems in place.
Social sciences study how power works, how media influences opinion, how education affects opportunity, how movements create change, and many more.
The more we know about ourselves, each other, and the world we live in, the better choices we make, not just for ourselves, but for everyone.
