The networks and connections we create in our lives are integral
to our wellbeing and happiness. According to a study by The Ohio State
University, people feel more supported when their networks were linked rather
than when their relationships were separate.
"The more cohesive, the more dense this network you
have, the more you feel you can rely on them for support," said David Lee,
who led the study as a postdoctoral fellow in psychology at The Ohio State
University.
They interviewed people about the range of support they received
from eight of their close friends or family. As well as asking participants to
rate on a scale of 1 to 7 how close each possible pair of their eight
supporters were to each other. The results found that the denser the networks,
the more support that participants said they would be able to receive from
them.
"People who feel they have more social support in their
lives may be focusing more on the collective support they feel from being part
of a strong, cohesive group. It's having a real crew, as opposed to just having
a set of friends," said Joseph Bayer, assistant professor of communication.
The study really highlights the way we view our support networks
and how being interconnected is so vital for the relationships that we form
throughout life.
Posted by Blooms The Chemist on 9 Oct 2020