Hockenbury Discovering Psychology 5th txtbk

Individual Factors That Influence the Response to Stress515• After monitoring the health of 2,800 people for seven years, researchersfound that people who had no one to talk to about their problems werethree times as likely to die after being hospitalized for a heart attack thanwere those who had at least one person to provide such support (Berkman& others, 1992).• The health of nearly 7,000 adults was tracked for nine years. Those who hadfew social connections were twice as likely to die from all causes than werethose who had numerous social contacts, even when risk factors such as cigarettesmoking, obesity, and elevated cholesterol levels were taken into account(Berkman, 1995; Berkman & Syme, 1979).• In a study begun in the 1950s, college students rated their parents’ level oflove and caring. More than 40 years later, 87 percent of those who hadrated their parents as being “low” in love and caring had been diagnosedwith a serious physical disease. In contrast, only 25 percent of those whohad rated their parents as being “high” in love and caring had been diagnosedwith a serious physical disease (Russek & Schwartz, 1997; Shaw &others, 2004).These are just a few of the hundreds of studies exploring how interpersonal relationshipsinfluence our health and ability to tolerate stress (Cohen, 2004;Uchino, 2009). To investigate the role played by personal relationships in stressand health, psychologists measure the level of social support—the resources providedby other people in times of need (Hobfoll & Stephens, 1990). Repeatedly,researchers have found that socially isolated people have poorer health and higherdeath rates than people who have many social contacts or relationships (Southwick& others, 2005; Uchino, 2004, 2009). In fact, social isolation seems to be just aspotent a health risk as smoking, high blood cholesterol, obesity, or physical inactivity(Cohen & others, 2000).Beyond social isolation, researchers have found that the more diverse your socialnetwork, the more pronounced the health benefits (Cohen & Janicki-Deverts,2009). That is, prospective studies have shown that the people who live longest arethose who have more different types of relationships—such as being married; havingclose relationships with family members, friends, and neighbors; and belonging tosocial, political, or religious groups (Berkman & Glass, 2000). In fact, researchershave found that people who live in such diverse social networks have:• greater resistance to upper respiratory infections (Cohen & others, 1997)• lower incidence of stroke and cardiovascular disease among women in a highriskgroup (Rutledge & others, 2004, 2008)• decreased risk for the recurrence of cancer (Helgeson & others, 1998)• lower incidence of dementia and cognitive loss in old age (Fratiglioni &others, 2004)“A Sense of Being Loved by OurCommunity . . .” Author Philip Simmonshad been an English professor for nineyears when he learned that he had LouGehrig’s disease, a fatal neuromuscularcondition that usually kills its victims intwo to five years. But Simmons beat thoseodds and lived an incredibly productivelife for almost 10 years, in part by learningto ask for—and accept—help from hisfriends. For several years, some 30 friendsand neighbors helped the Simmons familywith the routine chores of daily life, suchas fixing dinner and chauffeuring kids.Said Philip’s wife, Kathryn, “It gives us asense of being loved by our community.”How Social Support Benefits HealthSocial support may benefit our health and improve our ability to cope with stressorsin several ways (Cohen & others, 2000). First, the social support of friends and relativescan modify our appraisal of a stressor’s significance, including the degree towhich we perceive it as threatening or harmful. Simply knowing that support andassistance are readily available may make the situation seem less threatening.Second, the presence of supportive others seems to decrease the intensity ofphysical reactions to a stressor. Thus, when faced with a painful medical procedureor some other stressful situation, many people find the presence of a supportivefriend to be calming.Third, social support can influence our health by making us less likely to experiencenegative emotions (Cohen, 2004). Given the well-established link betweenchronic negative emotions and poor health, a strong social support network canpromote positive moods and emotions, enhance self-esteem, and increase feelings ofsocial supportThe resources provided by other people intimes of need.