THE WARREN-WATCHUNG CONNECTION PAGE 44 SEPT/OCT/NOV 2026 t h etchoenc no encnt ei oc nt i son j s. cnoj .mc o m HEALTH & WELLNESS AUTUMN'S ALLURE Eat, Drink & Celebrate FAMILY ADVENTURES Join the Lighthouse Challenge JETSETTER'S JOURNEY Discover the Timeless Beauty of Italy PLAY TO WIN Details on page 6! Cover Artwork By Allan Zhu VOLUME CX SEPT/OCT/NOV 2026 Warren-Watchung Edition Warren, Watchung, Martinsville, Stirling, Millington, Gillette, Green Brook, Basking Ridge, Berkeley Heights, New Providence Cover Artwork By Debora Thedinga AUTUMN'S ALLURE Eat, Drink & Celebrate FAMILY ADVENTURES Join the Lighthouse Challenge HINTS FOR THE HOME A Lesson in Lighting PLAY TO WIN Details on page 6! VOLUME LXXX SEPT/OCT/NOV 2026 Bridgewater, Branchburg, Hillsborough, Martinsville, Somerville Bridgewater-Somerville Edition 3 COVERS. 1 CONNECTION. LOCAL BUSINESS. LOCAL STORIES. LOCAL IMPACT AUTUMN'S ALLURE Eat, Drink & Celebrate FAMILY ADVENTURES Join the Lighthouse Challenge HEALTH HOTLINE Healthy Aging Begins Long Before We Feel Old PLAY TO WIN Details on page 6! Cover Artwork By Joan Park SEPT/OCT/NOV 2026 VOLUME CVI Bernards-Ridge Edition Bernardsville, Basking Ridge, Bedminster, Mendham, Far Hills, Peapack/Gladstone, Chester, Morristown GET YOUR BUSINESS INTO 80K+ HANDS NEXT ISSUE: NOVEMBER 2026 ADVERTISING DEADLINE: OCTOBER 23, 2026 Reserv Your Spac Today! Health & Wellness Kidz Connection Home & Design Events & Community Senior Living Local Business Spotlight 908.903.1799 Info@theconnectionsnj.com www.theconnectionsnj.com here is a body of research that suggests that there is a relationship between longevity and the degree of satisfying social interactions occurring in one’s life. A significant determinant and component in creating positive social relationships is the quality of the verbal and nonverbal communications within those relationships. Interestingly, most social scientists agree that the true message one sends is not in the words that are spoken, but lie within the nonverbal communication such as facial expression, body positioning, tone, volume, hand gestures, and word emphasis. Some research indicates that 65% of the message is sent nonverbally, diminishing the meaning of the actual word that is spoken. Nonverbal messages are largely subliminal in that we do not consciously identify the message, but we most definitely have emotional and behavioral reactions to them. Now consider that in our highly digitized world, a significant amount of social interaction occurs in the form of computer mediated communication (CMC). CMCs occur as text messages, emails, chat boxes, social media posts, and tweets. Just as in face-to-face interactions, CMC interactions also carry a set of nonverbal communications that are expressed subliminally, yet most definitely elicit feelings and behaviors in the person receiving the message. Nonverbal messages in CMC present differently from in-person. Examples of CMC nonverbal messages are “ghosting,” the amount of time it takes a person to respond to you, the time of day or night the message is sent, nonedited messages, the use or absence of punctuation, formatting (bold, italics, exclamation points, etc.), and the length of the message, to name a few. As in face-to-face interactions, if the true message is being sent nonverbally, it is important for you to identify and interpret the CMC nonverbal message. That way you can be aware of your own feelings and reactions to the nonverbal messages being sent in CMC interactions. Attending to the unique CMC nonverbal messages will help you understand what the sender is truly saying to you, so that you can react accordingly and appropriately. Additionally, when you send a CMC, be aware of the nonverbal message accompanying it. Make sure it matches what you really want to communicate without the potential for misinterpretation. If the nonverbal CMC potentially sends the wrong or a mixed message, be sure to modify it, or be clearer about what it is you truly want to communicate. And just something to think about . . . if longevity is tied to the quality of social relationships throughout one’s life, and a significant amount of social time is now spent in the digital world with a whole new array of subliminal nonverbal messages, will relationships be less satisfying, thereby negatively affecting longevity? Dr. Michael Osit is a Clinical Psychologist, Clinical Director and owner of Watchung Psychological Associates in Warren, NJ. He is also the author of Generation Text: Raising Well Adjusted Kids In An Age Of Instant Everything and The Train Keeps Leaving Without Me: A Guide To Happiness, Freedom, and Self-Fulfillment. MIND THE MIND The New Nonverbal By Dr. Michael Osit Nonverbal messages are largely subliminal in that we do not consciously identify the message, but we most definitely have emotional and behavioral reactions to them. T
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