Are We Better Together?: Exploring Intentional Communities

Artwork in Slab City, CA. Photograph taken by the author

Community has always been a critical part of the human experience, both for our survival and well being. In recent years, an increased number of intentional communities have been popping up and this begs the question: are intentional communities a better way to live? Is one’s mental health likely to be improved by living in such a community?

First, it is necessary to define what an intentional community actually is. Intentional communities often get a negative reputation for being cult-like, extreme, or isolated from the outside world. While, there are communities that fit this description, at its most basic level, an intentional community is simply a group of people living together, intentionally, with a shared goal. More specifically, a study about intentional communities in Saint Louis, defines them as“1) a deliberate coming together 2) of five or more people not all of whom are related 3) to live in a geographic locality 4) with a common aim to improve their lives and the broader society through conscious social design. These communities 5) involve some degree of economic, social and cultural sharing or cooperation and 6) some degree of separation from the surrounding society” (Lockyer and Benson, 2011).

Intentional communities have a long history. The first recorded intentional community was Homakoeion, founded by Pythagorus in ancient Greece in 525 BCE. The residents shared common beliefs and practices and tried to create an ideal society. The community was based on vegetarianism, mysticism, intellectualism, and gender equality. Many intentional communities have also been created out of shared religious beliefs. For example, many early Christians lived communally and over time, the Christian monastery became a common form of intentional community. In the late 1700s and early 1800s, the Second Great Awakening swept the United States, bringing religious revival and an interest in spiritual and utopian ideas. This led to the birth of many intentional communities. Many of these communities were religious-based, such as the Oneida community, and the Shakers. However, others were more based on non-religious philosophy. Brook Farm is considered one of the first communities established during this time to be purely secular. Brook Farm was based on Transcendentalist ideas. All of the members farmed together and shared the results of their labor. The communal structure allowed for the members to have more free time to pursue other intellectual pursuits. Today, there is a renewed interest in intentional communities and it is estimated that there are about “3,500 in the United States alone" (Foundation for the Intentional Community, 2021).

There are many benefits to living in an intentional community today, one of which is that it helps fight off loneliness. Even before the Coronavirus Pandemic, there had been talk of a “loneliness epidemic.” The pandemic only exacerbated this, as it isolated people from their friends, families, schools, and social communities. According to a study conducted through Harvard during the pandemic, “36 percent of respondents to a national survey of approximately 950 Americans reported feeling lonely “frequently” or “almost all the time or all the time” in the prior four weeks, compared with 25 percent who recalled experiencing serious issues in the two months prior to the pandemic" (Anderson, 2010). Even more concerning is that 18 to 25-year-olds faced the highest rates of loneliness at 61%. Loneliness can have serious psychological and physiological effects, and a study by the AARP states it can be “as dangerous to our physical health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and more” (Anderson, 2010). Another study found that people with more social bonds had a 50% lower risk of death within a given period of time.

Intentional communities are a viable solution to this crisis, as they provide support and important social ties. In cities, people are also surrounded by people, but they typically do not interact with each other as much. Whereas, in an intentional community, people have some level of dependency on one another as well as group events and responsibilities. According to a study conducted about residents of 174 intentional communities, when asked to rate their satisfaction with life on a scale of 1-7, the average score was 5.4. This is significantly higher than the results for North Americans who do not live on intentional communities.

Another benefit of intentional communities is the lower cost of living. This is a huge incentive as rent prices continue to become more and more unaffordable in cities. Many people are able to lower their expenses by sharing housing, vehicles, and food. Food can be made even less expensive through methods such as growing their own food, dumpster diving, and food donations. One resident at Dancing Rabbit Eco Village near Saint Louis estimates that “my rent is $170 and my food is $200 a month” (Lockyer and Benson, 2011). Another resident explained, “I think my bills are about $400 a month, and that includes everything. If you live collectively you can keep your taxable income around the poverty line and still live a decent lifestyle. It's only when you need your own car and your own washing machine and on and on that it gets really challenging” (Lockyer and Benson, 2011). There are other benefits that serve to decrease cost and improve quality of life that come with sharing resources. Some of these include having other members available for childcare, carpooling, and building and fixing necessary items on the property.

One modern-day community is Slab City, located near the Salton Sea in California. This is an off the grid squatter community nicknamed “the last free place.” I am fairly familiar with this community, as I have spent time living there on and off over the past year. One slabber described the place to me as “the island of misfit toys.” It definitely is a place full of unique and individualistic characters who feel they do not fit into mainstream society. Slab City is not connected to a religion or unified by a very specific philosophy, but there seem to be some commonly shared ideas among the residents. They are the desire to live for free, away from mainstream society, and a general distrust of authority. It is also, for the most part, a rent-free place where you can pitch an RV or tent wherever there is available space. There is no mayor or government and businesses operate without the permits or licenses that would be needed elsewhere. I personally think there are a lot of benefits to living in a community like this and have noticed improvements in my overall well-being while staying in this community. For instance, there seems to be a greater atmosphere of helpfulness and sharing than I have experienced in Los Angeles. For example, the community regularly uses Facebook to connect. There will often be posts from people who have food or building materials that they cannot use and would like to give away, or people providing other services to the community. I also feel that there is a much greater sense of freedom and individuality. People go by unusual nicknames such as “Pirate Rob” and “Pink Gorilla” and have more time to spend on personal activities, such as art, since they do not have to worry about paying expensive rent. I think places like Slab City are important because they provide a refuge for people who may otherwise be living on the streets and neglected in a city, whereas in the Slabs they are treated like actual human beings and embraced as a part of the community.

However, there are some major downsides to Slab City and living in an off the grid community in general. For example, the weather is a huge challenge, as most of the people living off the grid in a campground-style setting do not have access to heaters, air conditioning, and limited shelter from the wind. For example, Slab City during the summer is one of the hottest places in the United States and regularly gets over 120 degrees. Sadly, it is not uncommon for heat-related deaths to occur during the summer. However, living off-grid also encourages adaptability. I think it is an important survival skill to be able to adapt to extreme weather and find creative ways to deal with it, rather than always resorting to the easy and comfortable option of an air conditioning unit or heater. Living in communities like this builds strength and hardship also brings people together, because it causes them to need to be able to rely on each other for support.

There are other challenges to community living depending on where one chooses to live. Some of these include lack of privacy, crowded spaces, and restrictive ways of living. However, with 3,500 communities across the U.S., it is likely that anyone can find one that works for them.

Overall, intentional communities are a promising alternative to the mainstream way of life. While some may call for unique challenges, they also help provide for our basic human needs. They provide their residents with greater financial stability, important support systems and decreased rates of loneliness, ultimately allowing for an improved quality of life.

Works Cited

Anderson, Gretchen. “Assets.aarp.org.” Loneliness Among Older Adults: A National

Survey of Adults 45+, 2010, https://assets.aarp.org/rgcenter/general/loneliness_2010.pdf.

“Earthaven: Intentional Community Case Study.” Daily Kos, 20 Mar. 2013, https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2013/3/20/1195535/-Earthaven-Intentional-Community-Case-Study.

Grinde, Bjørn. “Happiness in Communal Life: A Scientific Project.” Foundation for Intentional Community, 6 Nov. 2016, https://www.ic.org/happiness-in-communal-life-a-scientific-project/.

Holt-Lunstad, Julianne, et al. “Social Relationships and Mortality Risk: A Meta-Analytic Review.” PLoS Medicine, vol. 7, no. 7, 2010, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000316.

Kanto, Jill. “Living in an Intentional Community: A Case Study of Twin Oaks.” Search TinyHouse Villages, 9 Jan. 2019, https://searchtinyhousevillages.com/blog/2019/01/09/living-in-an-intentional-community/.

Lockyer, Joshua, and Peter Benson. “We Try to Create the World That We Want:" Intentional Communities Forging Livable Lives in St. Louis. 2011, https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1834&context=csd_research

“The Foundation for Intentional Community - about FIC.” Foundation for Intentional Community, 7 Jan. 2021, https://www.ic.org/foundation-for-intentional-community/.

Walsh, Colleen. “Young Adults Hardest Hit by Loneliness during Pandemic, Study Finds.” Harvard Gazette, Harvard Gazette, 17 Feb. 2021, https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2021/02/young-adults-teens-loneliness-mental-health-coronavirus-covid-pandemic/.