The Effects Of Social Relationships On Mental Health

In fact, many theories on aging regard maintaining social relationships as having a significant impact on aging outcomes. For example, “maintaining strong social relationships is one of the three components of successful aging” and “one of the four parts of active aging” (Wethington, April 12).

The human species is inevitably a social species that has depended on other members since birth. We’re social creatures that need other people in order to be well and thrive. Naturally, surrounding ourselves with others and fostering close relationships are the

Like the skeleton of the human body, everything important in one’s life relies on this key concept to be strong and supportive. From the day one is born until the day that they die, they have and continuously build up relationships with the people in their family, their friends, co-workers, really anyone and everyone of their choosing. These people are there whenever you may need somebody to help care for you when going through a rough patch, or to help you celebrate when something great happens. Everybody has their “person”, as ever so famously quoted and demonstrated by Meredith Grey and Cristina Yang in the hit television show “Grey’s Anatomy”. In fact, this feature is so important to one 's’ success in life that it even affects their health in a similar way that diet and exercise also does, which is explained in the quote “Want to be healthy? Hit the gym. Eat nutritious food. And… hang out with people,” (Izadi). This quote comments on the idea that in order to be healthy, one must acquire numerous sociable relationships. Socialization is a key component of human nature, and can be argued to even be as important as eating and drinking, which is why the establishment of these supportive bonds with others is really the first step in living the American Dream.

The central question that researchers have been investigating are “the ways that networks affect health through their influence on social support, sex, and food consumption- topics both relevant to health and inherently social” (Bird 75). Social networks in this article relates to any relationship that has consequences to ones’ health whether that be via smoking, drinking, exercising or another form of interactions that has a direct effect on health. While individuals have some control over their diet, sexual activity, and support of friends however societal norms and behaviors of friends overall constrain these notions.

The stressful effects of relationships cause people, specifically women, to become overwhelmed (Umberson and Montez 4). Women endure a number of relational stresses throughout their lives, and they must learn how to utilize their experiences to combat certain health issues. Being overwhelmed due to relational stress can cause women to fall victim to depression and cardiovascular disease (Vaughn et al.). Both of these issues are very detrimental to determining overall health, so women must be cautious when it comes to how they allow their relational stress to affect themselves. As stated in “Social Relationships and Health: A Flashpoint for Health Policy,” “the emotional support provided by social ties enhances psychological well-being, which, in

Mental health and its relevance to different relational settings has become a more widely discussed topic in recent times, especially so in American culture. Collectively, as a society, we have slowly begun to acknowledge that even the “everyday” factors in life, such as school, work, and family, create some amount of stress that could affect an individual’s mental health in a multitude of ways. The mental health of an individual affects not only the self, but the relationships formed with all those who come in contact with said individual. For example, an individual with “good” mental health might experience less tumultuous relationships with family, friends, and significant others, while an individual with “poor” mental health might struggle

There is increasing indication suggesting that social relationships and social support are protective of ill health. Thoits (2010) points that negative impacts of stressors on health and wellbeing are reduced when people have social support. Stansfield (1999) distinguishes the importance between social network and functional aspects of support; this included the number of frequency of contacts. The quality of support would include positive emotional and practical support and also any negative, undermining aspects of close relationships. Mittelmark (1999) suggests benefits of strengthening social ties can create better functioning individuals and improved physical and mental health.

Studies have shown the effects of social relations on psychological wellbeing, where high quality relationships between individuals decrease the negative effects of mental disorders like anxiety and depression, and increase longevity. In reducing anxiety and depression, cardiovascular health is increased and the chances of risky coping behaviors such as smoking, drinking, and suicide are decreased. Typically, it is found that women form these higher quality relationships more frequently than men. Higher female survivorship could also be the result of more proactive behaviors for preventive treatment for mental and physical health issues, where early detection and treatment can prevent illnesses from becoming fatal. In general, increased tobacco

As a result social is really important because your caring to that person you talking. For example Jessica had that trust tell me she was a single mother. This means it belongs to that trust gives us a sense of identity. It helps us understand who we are and feel part of something larger than ourselves. The book refers with strong social connections have less stress-related health problems, lower risk of mental illness, and faster recovery from trauma or illness. Friends and family can also encourage and support us in healthy lifestyle habits, such as exercise and

The social animal works and interacts with others and inserts itself into a web of social connections. These groups manifest out of strangers, neighbors, classmates, co-workers, friends, relatives and among other loved ones we may consider. As a result, the social group provides the information of being loved and belonging in which benefits the social animal (Cobb, 1976). These sensations of love and belonging are also referred to as social support. Nevertheless, research has heavily focused on the physical health benefits of social support but not much knowledge exists on the five psychological constructs such as, rumination, gratitude, preventive health, reappraisal, and the inclusion of other in the self. I should say that I do believe a relationship of perceived social support exists among these constructs like I said its talked about but not stressed enough. However, these studies that emphasize on depression, for example are not drawbacks but fruitful studies in regards to depression. On one hand, we discovered that depression is sometimes caused by loneliness, also to mention this usually leads to suicide, which is a product of loneliness (Wagner & Calhoun,

It is well-documented that social relationships and support are related to both physical and mental health. According to a meta analysis conducted by Holt-Lunstad, Smith, and Layton (2010), individual’s experiences within social relationships significantly predicted mortality. The weighted average indicated a 50% increased likelihood of survival with strong social support. There are several avenues by which social support may influence health and longevity. Social support may promote healthy behaviors and increase access to tangible and informational support. However, the emotional component of social support that is found in close, romantic relationships may be the best predictor of positive health outcomes. Indeed, positive social

These findings demonstrate that it is the social connectedness component of social activity participation that is beneficial to mental wellbeing. In fact, if you examine Table 1 it is clear that participation in social activities is not always directly correlated with the mental health outcomes. Table 2 demonstrates that contrary to past research there was no direct effect between participating in social activities and mental wellbeing outcomes in older adults. However, there was a consistent indirect effect between social activity participation and mental health outcomes when mediated through social connectedness. This indicates that participation in social activities is only related to mental health outcomes when participants perceive they have

Mental health is considered a critical concern in our society; the number of people affected every year is 1 in 10 adults and children who report experiencing problems in functioning properly at work, school , or with family and friends. Numerous studies have showed the existence of a positive correlation between positive social support and optimal mental health. An observational study conducted by tried to find the effect of an optimist spouse on the well-being of his significant partner and demonstrated the relationship between ideal support and emotional well-being. The longitudinal study lasted for four years and participants were tracked to report results related to their “physical functioning, self-rated health, and number of chronic illnesses”. The case research study included 42 subjects a number of 21 couples from the Health and Retirement Study group, participants were among age 53-97, the Mean was 68.51 and standard deviation 8.68. The study included different ethnicities and

Holt-Lunstad and Smith’s “Social Relationships and Morality” investigates the correlation between social relationships and life expectancy, as well as, investigates the linked variables and pathways. This study suggests social relationships are evolutionary advantageous for not only emotional and mental health, but physical health, despite a rise in the paradigm that humans do not need contact and communication to survive and thrive. As of late, research regarding social relationships have been restricted to psychological and sociological investigation, rather than medical research; therefore, there is a lack of precision and validity due to variability in measurement. Holt-Lunstad aims to establish a foundation of reliable, scientific data

Numerous studies conducted by institutions such as the Mayo Clinic, Harvard University, and The Mental Health Foundation all say the same thing friendship is an important part of our mental health and can even help us live longer. This point is reinforced in studies such as the one conducted by Umberson and Montez which says “Captors use social isolation to torture prisoners of war-to drastic effect. Social isolation of otherwise healthy, well-functioning individuals eventually results in phycological and physical disintegration” (Umberson et al.). While this highlights what a rather extreme case the point made is simple, social isolation is bad for us; for we are social creatures. Furthermore, the study even goes on to state “Social relationships have significant effects on health” (Umberson et al.) and “relationships have cots and benefits for health.” (Umberson et