Happy but unhealthy: The relationship between social ties and health in an emerging network
Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskrift › Tidsskriftartikel › Forskning › fagfællebedømt
Social connections are essential to health and well-being. However, when pursing social acceptance, people may sometimes engage in behavior that is detrimental to their health. Using a multi-time-point design, we examined whether the structure of an emerging network of students in an academic summer school program correlated with their physical health and mental well-being. Participants who were more central in the network typically experienced greater symptoms of illness (e.g., cold/flu symptoms), engaged in riskier health behaviors (e.g., binge drinking), and had higher physiological reactivity to a stressor. At the same time, they were happier, felt more efficacious, and perceived less stress in response to a strenuous math task. These outcomes suggest that social ties in an emerging network are associated with better mental well-being, but also with poorer physical health and health behaviors.
Originalsprog | Engelsk |
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Tidsskrift | European Journal of Social Psychology |
Vol/bind | 44 |
Udgave nummer | 6 |
Sider (fra-til) | 612-621 |
Antal sider | 10 |
ISSN | 0046-2772 |
DOI | |
Status | Udgivet - 2014 |
Eksternt udgivet | Ja |
Bibliografisk note
(Ekstern)
ID: 188685339