https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-cs-PILJTUMEFs2ZCfhkAVAOLQgDbYfc/view?usp=sharing
Script :
You have just had your annual medical check-up. The doctor measured your blood pressure, asked you about your diet and sports, and asked if you smoked.
But, what if instead of the usual auscultation he had continued by asking you questions about your social life: Do you have a lot of friends? What are your social activities? What groups do you belong to? Are they diverse ? How important are those groups for you ?
Would you find it normal if he asked you such questions ?
Because indeed, those questions could be quite relevant to your health. Membership in social groups and networks appears to be an important indicator of health – just as important as diet and exercise. This was shown by a study published in 2005 by Boden-Albala and her colleagues at Columbia University. This study involved 655 people who had had a stroke. They found that individuals who are isolated have been found to be nearly twice as likely to have a new seizure within five years compared to those with many social connections. The social factor even seems to be, in this case, more important than factors such as coronary heart disease or lack of physical exercise.
These effects do not only affect those with known health problems. In a study published in 2008, epidemiologists and public health specialists Karen Ertel, Maria Glymour and Lisa Berkman of Harvard Medical School followed 16,638 elderly people for six years. The results revealed that memory impairment was significantly less prevalent in people who had extensive social contact.
Another study has even shown that social networks strengthen the immune system against … colds and flues ! The most isolated people were almost twice as likely to catch a cold as people with dense social networks, although the latter were likely to be exposed to more pathogens.
These findings go beyond exploring the link between mental health and physical health. There is now data indicating that social isolation can be considered as a risk factor in terms of health, like smoking, high blood pressure or obesity.
Many recent studies show that belonging to multiple social networks is particularly important. Take the example of a marathon runner who can no longer run because of an injury. Everyone could be overwhelmed by an injury, but the consequences of it are far more serious for those for whom being a runner is the most important part of their identity. This could also be the case for someone who has overinvested their work life and who has great difficulty adjusting to retirement because he no longer has a sense of purpose and no more collègues to rely on. We can think that in case of a problem, it is better not to have put all of your eggs – all of your social identities – in the same psychological basket. It is better to have distributed your social identities in many social baskets, so that if you lose one, there are many more left.
Jolanda Jetten, a professor of social psychology, has broadened our knowledge on this topic thanks to her studies . In one of them, she looked at the evolution of the circumstances of 53 people who had recently suffered from a stroke. Their mood was much better when they belonged to a lot of social groups, because they had more support. This effect was particularly shown for the patients whose cognitive deficits due to the vascular accident were the worst.
Our social life and social identities have a significant influence on our health and well-being. And it reveals something fundamental about human nature: we are social animals who live in groups. The groups we belong to are an essential part of who we are, and what we need to have a life that we enjoy.
Recognizing the importance of social identity opens up new perspectives, and not only in psychology, our field of research but also in sociology, economics, medicine and neuroscience. This work also has practical ramifications, as it suggests that partaking in a group could be therapeutic . Joining new groups increases life expectancy and quality of life. In other words, participation in group living would act as a vaccine against what can threaten our mental and physical health. It’s like a drug, almost free of side effects! I say almost because quarrels and arguments can happen too. But taking part in social activities is undoubtedly one of the most pleasant ways to take care of our health and avoid doctor appointments…
If group membership is such an important determinant of our well-being, we can only imagine the effects of marginalization. So how, as human beings, do we fight isolation ? How, in a post-pandemic world, where we are more and more polarized because of our ethnicity, religious beliefs and political opinions do we find our way back to each other despite our differences?
In our next podcast, we will be with Delphine Louis, an expert in group formation. She was supposed to come today but unfortunately, due to flu, could not join us. Her expertise will give us some insights on the subject we are tackling. She will explain to us how fanbases are born and the genesis of conspirationist groups. We will discuss how those groups are an attempt to fill in our needs in terms of belonging and belief. Then, we will also try to understand what are the risks of belonging to such groups.
And finally, finally, finally we will try to answer our final question, the one that interests us the most, which know: how do we find our way back to each other?
References :
J. Jetten et al., The social cure : identity, health and well-being, Psychology Press, à paraître.
S. Haslam et al., Social identity, health and well-being, in Special issue of Applied Psychology : an International Review, vol. 58, pp. 1-192, 2009.
R. Putman, Bowling alone : the collapse and revival of american community, Simon & Schuster, 2000.
S. Haslam et al., Stressing the group : social identity and the unfolding dynamics of responses to stress, in J. of App. Psy., vol. 91(5), sept. 2006.
S. Reicher et S. Haslam, Rethinking the psychology of tyranny : the bbc prison study, in Brit. J. of Soc. Psy., vol. 45(1), mars 2006.