Do you have a bestfriend or group of friends that you hang out with? What about a trusted coworker or a classmate that you can talk about different things with? If you said yes, congratulations! You are one step closer to reducing your stress levels in life. Social support is incredibly important for our mental and physical health, and having good social support systems in place can be very helpful for our stress management. Being in college or a young working professional is the perfect time to meet new friends or make new connections that can benefit your life and help you deal with your stress. You don’t have to have many close friends to reap these benefits, as long as you have quality connections with the supports you do have.
What is social support? Social support is the group of people we have around us that we get support from. It includes the friends we have to confide in, the family we have to love us, or anyone who makes your life a little easier. There are 5 main kinds of support that we can receive: emotional support, esteem support, information support, tangible support, and companionship support (Khan Academy, 2014). Some people in our lives will support us in all of these ways, and some will only support us in one of those ways. Social support is a strong determinant of health and well-being later in life, so maintaining good relationships now is essential for stronger health in the future. What are the effects of poor social support? Unfortunately, not every person has a strong social support system they can rely on. In fact, loneliness is becoming more and more prevalent in the lives of American people everyday. One study found that while the mean number of close others that people feel they have in their lives is 2 people, the number most often answered is 0 (Seppala, 2014). This means that right now, most people in the United States feel that they have 0 people close enough to them to share their problems with. As if that wasn’t bad already, those feelings of loneliness actually have some bad health consequences as well. Believe it or not, low social support has been found to be just as bad for our health than smoking, obesity, and high blood pressure (Seppala, 2014). One study even found that the negative effects of loneliness on our health is equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes per day (Bonior, 2017). The American Psychological Association also found that stress levels of those without support was higher than those who have strong support systems. Given that when “people are stressed, they become more withdrawn and distracted” (Gordon, 2015), this makes them less likely to reach out and build those strong connections and perpetuates the cycle of loneliness in our lives. Feeling alone is something that many of us experience from time to time, but on a regular basis, these feelings can clearly take a toll on our health. How can strong social support benefit me? While there are many ways poor social connection can harm you, there are even more ways that good social support can help you! Being well supported in life helps us in so many different aspects of our lives. When we are surrounded by a strong social support system, it can:
In general, good friends and people surrounding us can help us live happier, healthier lives. Having people to rely on helps us to work through our problems and enjoy life more, which can greatly reduce the stress we feel and the symptoms we experience because of it. Even if you don’t have many friends, it is actually your perspective on the quality and satisfaction of your relationships that really makes the difference in your health! As you can see, having good connections in life is essential for optimal health and well-being, so it is important to remember to take the time to build these relationships. Ways to boost social support! While some people may say that they just prefer to be alone, it is actually in our instincts to be compassionate and help others (Seppala, 2014). We usually ignore it or talk ourselves out of it when that instinct arises, but it is one of the most important aspects of humanity that has helped us survive this entire time. Boosting social support doesn’t have to be hard. Reach out to a classmate, make dinner plans with a friend, or just talk to someone next time you are going through a stressful situation. Be sure to also focus on being a strong social support for people in your life, as it research suggests that “providing social support to friends and family may be even more important than receiving it” (American Psychological Association). With one in almost every two people living with a chronic disease in the US right now, it makes you wonder just how many of those people would be much healthier with a few more friends (Story, 2015). Compassion can spread from person to person, so even your small actions of support to one person could ripple into a wave of relief for hundreds of people! So be a friend, reach out, and help others-- for their benefit and your own. References American Psychological Association (n.d.). Manage stress: Strengthen your support network. Retrieved from: https://www.apa.org/helpcenter/emotional-support.aspx (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. Bonior, A. (2017, March 8). 11 Surprising Things Good Friendships Do for You. Retrieved from: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/friendship-20/201703/11-surprising-things-good-friendships-do-you (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. Gordon, A. (2017, September 29). Is Stress Killing Your Relationship? Why You’re Not Alone. Retrieved from: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/between-you-and-me/201709/is-stress-killing-your-relationship-why-youre-not-alone (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. Khan Academy. (2014, September 19). Social Support | Individuals and Society. Retrieved from:Social support | Individuals and Society | MCAT | Khan Academy (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. Seppala, E. (2014, April 1). The Power and Science of Social Connection TEDTalk. Retrieved from:The Power & Science of Social Connection: Emma Seppälä TEDx (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. Story, C. (2015, April 30). Social Support and Wellness TEDTalk. Retrieved from:Social Support & Wellness | Chandra Story | TEDxOStateU (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
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