Psychology2016

Stress and Health 451

How Social Support Affects Coping

11.11 Explain how a social-support system influences a person’s ability to cope
with stress.

I hear the term “social-support system” all the time now.

Exactly what is it?

A social-support system is the network of friends, family members, neighbors, cowork-
ers, and others who can offer help to a person in need. That help can take the form of
advice, physical or monetary support, information, emotional support, love and affec-
tion, or companionship. Research has consistently shown that having a good social-
support system is of critical importance in a person’s ability to cope with stressors:
People with good social-support systems are less likely to die from illnesses or injuries
than those without such support (Kulik & Mahler, 1989, 1993). Breast cancer patients
who have good social support tend to be better able to deal with pain and other symp-
toms of their disease (Kroenke et al., 2012). A good social support system also may pro-
mote better thinking: the more group ties a person has, the greater that person’s cognitive
health (Haslam et al., 2016).
Marriage, itself a form of social support, is a good predictor of healthy aging and
longevity (Gardner & Oswald, 2004; Vaillant, 2002). Social support has been found to have
a positive effect on the immune system (Holt-Lunstad et al., 2003); for example, it has
been shown to improve the mental health and physical functioning of people who have
lupus, a chronic inflammatory disease that can affect nearly any part of the body ( Sutcliffe
et al., 1999; M. M. Ward et al., 1999), as well as those with cancer and HIV (Carver &
Antoni, 2004; Gonzalez et al., 2004). Thinking positively impacts health as well: In one
recent study, people who experience warmer, more pleasant and upbeat emotions tend
to have better health, and the researchers conclude that this connection is likely due to
these people being able to make more social connections (Kok et al., 2013). The increased
social-support network then has a positive effect on the health of these individuals.
Social support can make a stressor seem less threatening because people with such
support know that there is help available. Having people to talk to about one’s prob-
lems reduces the physical symptoms of stress—talking about frightening or frustrating
events with others can help people think more realistically about the threat, for exam-
ple, and talking with people who have had similar experiences can help put the event
into perspective (Townsend et al., 2014). to Learning Objective 15.6. The neg-
ative emotions of loneliness and depression, which are less likely to occur with some-
one who has social support, can adversely affect one’s ability to cope (Beehr et al., 2000;
We i s s e , 1 9 9 2 ). T h e p re s e n c e o f m u l t i p l e s o u rc e s o f s u p p o r t , s u c h a s f r i e n d s , p a re n t s , a n d
teachers, has been found to significantly decrease loneliness and social anxiety in adoles-
cents ( Cavanaugh & Buehler, 2016). Positive emotions, on the other hand, have a decid-
edly beneficial effect on health, helping people recover from stressful experiences more
quickly and effectively (Tugade & Fredrickson, 2004). Positive emotions are more likely
to occur in the presence of friends and family.
There is also a theory that gender makes a difference in coping with stress. While
men are seen as dealing with stress by preparing to “fight or flee,” women are more
likely to resort to more socially oriented behavior. If there is an actual enemy, women
may try to befriend that enemy and negate the threat, or if no actual enemy is avail-
able, they may seek out social support from family or friends (Taylor et al., 2000; Taylor,
2006). This tend and befriend theory may have a basis in a genetic difference between
men and women. One study suggests that the SRY gene (a protein found only on the

social-support system

the network of family, friends,

neighbors, coworkers, and others who

can offer support, comfort, or aid to a

person in need.

Coping with illness is always made easier

when one has social support. Here, a

man recovering in the hospital is visited

by a volunteer and her dog. Animals are

also a good source of social support,

and people who have animals have been

shown to recover from illnesses and

stressors more quickly (Allen et al., 2002).