learning objectives
· indicate how (e.g. the role of social support) the quantity and quality of our relationships is associated with health
· identify two ways in which social support operates
· be aware of various effects of social exclusion
· explain the role of control in the effects of exclusion on aggression
Why study relationships? Humans as social animals
Heart-failure study (Coyne 2001)
· happily married males → 70% were still alive after 4 years
· unhappy married males → only 45% were still alive after 4 years
→ happily married males lived longer
Berkman & Syme study
· least socially integrated men → 17% died within 9 years
· most socially integrated men → 7.8% died within 9 years
· least socially integrated women → 14% died within 9 years
· most socially integrated women → 4% died within 9 years
→ high socially integrated men & women live longer
immune system study (Cohen)
· relationships support the immune system
· people got injected rhino-virus (common-cold) → you get sick/not depending on your immune system
· 60% of not socially integrated people got sick
· 35% highly socially integrated people got sick
→ high socially integrated had a better immune system
Mortality risk
· social relationships are the 2. highest cause for mortality risk, close behind smoking
WHY is social integration associated with both physical & psychological well-being?
social integration → social support → health & well-being
social support
· emotional support & instrumental support → strongly correlated & often ‘confounded’ e.g. go shopping when ill
· ‘visible’ & ‘invisible’ support → visible support works better; invisible support = explicit e.g. ‘you look tired’ can have
neg. side effects
How social support affects health & well-being (Cohen)
direct effects hypothesis (main effect hypothesis) e.g. social support makes people take better care of themselves
(less smoking, more exercise, healthier diet etc); social influence/norms
· experience more pos. affect
· here social support is always effective
stress-buffering hypothesis social support reduces stress under potentially stressful circumstances
· stress (e.g. cortisol) directly related to health via cardio-vascular & immune system
· here social support only is effective if you are stressed
1
,Lending a hand (Coan) → example for stress-buffering hypothesis
· fMRI study, neurophysiological responses to anticipated pain
· 3 conditions: holding hand of romantic partner, stranger, or no hand holding, while anticipating a hurtful electric
shock
· stress-related activity in brain when red cross appeared on the screen, instead of the blue circle
→ there was stress which was hampered only when the romantic partner was holding the hand of the women
→ especially when the woman reported high relationship satisfaction stress was buffered
→ quality of relationship matters!
strength & strain model of marriage & health (Slatcher) (quality of relationship)
· a supportive relationship buffers against negative effect of outside stressors
· a non-supportive relationship (non-happy marriage) has a stress-intensifying effect
anecdote:
· twins prematurely born, one nurse put both babies into one incubator → both healed much faster
conclusion:
· having an extensive social network strongly associated with people’s psychological & physical well-being
· social support is key; has direct & indirect (stress-buffering) effect
· role of relationships on health & well-being underestimated, by laypeople & psychologists alike
The need to belong
· evolved need to initiate & maintain relationships; critical for survival…
· similar to need for food & water
2
,need to belong-hypothesis: 2 categories of support
1. Changes in belongingness evokes strong effects
· inclusion/social integration = healthy & happy
· exclusion/loneliness = unhealthy & unhappy
2. Initiating social interactions seems innate & humans form social relationships really easily
· part of genetic make-up
· universal: over the whole globe, people live in societies
· minimal group research just divide a group of people into 2 groups based on arbitrary criteria
→ people start to identify themselves with that criteria and with their ingroup & perceive the others as outgroup
· mere proximity leads to relationships → automatically & easily
· attachment literature → attachment bonds for safety
· innate focus on others (face perceptual system)
face perceptual system
· baby’s 30 minutes (!) old attend their gaze more to faces than other equally complex stimuli
· we always see faces in objects & assign human emotions to them automatically
reactions to changes in belongingness: social exclusion
· small cue of social exclusion can invoke negative reactions
· ball tossing game, 3 people, 2 toss a ball to each other ignoring the third one
→ immediate reactions to ostracism, even if it is financially beneficial to be the ignored one
· ostracism threatens fundamental needs
· lower sense of ‘belonging’, control, sense of meaningfulness & self-esteem (sociometer theory)
→ you find these effects no matter what
→ social exclusion activates the anterior cingulate & right ventral prefrontal cortex, the same areas for physical pain
‘it hurts’ - pain overlap theory
· similar neural system involved in both social & physical pain
· sensitivity to both social & physical pain is linked by a common gene (OPRM-I)
→ similar psychological responses: both social & physical pain lead to loss of control, lowered self-esteem,
aggression etc
can we treat social pain with painkillers (developed for physical pain)?
· participants took 3 weeks long acetaminophen (paracetamol) or placebo
· study 1: report ‘hurt feelings’ daily
· paracetamol group reported less hurt feelings than the control group
· study 2: brain-scan during social exclusion
· paracetamol group didn’t show pain reactivity at neurological level when socially excluded, like control group
→ psychological & physical pain are strongly overlapping
social & physical pain dissimilarity?
· social pain is long-term & physical pain is not
is there a relationship between social exclusion & aggression?
· much more evidence for: if people are socially excluded, they act more aggressively afterward
· Twenge & colleagues exclusion manipulations:
· e.g. group formation (everyone chose you; non of the others chose you)
· leads to aggression, on several indices of aggression e.g. hot sauce paradigm, sounds blasts, rating of essay
→ aggression leads to regain control & showing others that you are more in control of the situation
3
, When and why? The role of control needs
→ if given an opportunity for reconnection: prosocial
What social exclusion can lead to
· in at least 12/15 school shootings either chronic ostracism/exclusion (bullying), or acute exclusion (e.g. romantic
break-up)
· Oklahoma BTK killer: ‘how many people do I have to kill before someone notices me?’
immediate reflexive stage → hurts directly
reflective stage → ways to strengthen your needs of belonging by reconnecting with others; people use aggression to
strengthen the other need of control
Conclusion
· humans are ‘social animals’
· the need to belong underlies much of our actions & decisions in our life
· do not underestimate the power of social relationships!
4
Voordelen van het kopen van samenvattingen bij Stuvia op een rij:
Verzekerd van kwaliteit door reviews
Stuvia-klanten hebben meer dan 700.000 samenvattingen beoordeeld. Zo weet je zeker dat je de beste documenten koopt!
Snel en makkelijk kopen
Je betaalt supersnel en eenmalig met iDeal, creditcard of Stuvia-tegoed voor de samenvatting. Zonder lidmaatschap.
Focus op de essentie
Samenvattingen worden geschreven voor en door anderen. Daarom zijn de samenvattingen altijd betrouwbaar en actueel. Zo kom je snel tot de kern!
Veelgestelde vragen
Wat krijg ik als ik dit document koop?
Je krijgt een PDF, die direct beschikbaar is na je aankoop. Het gekochte document is altijd, overal en oneindig toegankelijk via je profiel.
Tevredenheidsgarantie: hoe werkt dat?
Onze tevredenheidsgarantie zorgt ervoor dat je altijd een studiedocument vindt dat goed bij je past. Je vult een formulier in en onze klantenservice regelt de rest.
Van wie koop ik deze samenvatting?
Stuvia is een marktplaats, je koop dit document dus niet van ons, maar van verkoper katrinschneider. Stuvia faciliteert de betaling aan de verkoper.
Zit ik meteen vast aan een abonnement?
Nee, je koopt alleen deze samenvatting voor €5,49. Je zit daarna nergens aan vast.