People with Strong Social Support are Healthier, Study Suggests

Amy Taylor January 22, 2015

If you have plenty of good friends who genuinely care for you, call yourself ‘lucky’. Not only does these people make you happy, they can make you healthier too. According to a new study, individuals with a strong support network are more likely to become healthier.

Researchers from Concordia University in the US followed a group of international students who experienced major social change following a move to Montreal.

Over a five-month period, participants responded to questionnaires that measured their social integration, as well as how lonely they felt. Gouin and his Concordia co-authors, Stephanie Fitzpatrick and Biru Zhou, also monitored participants’ heart rates to detect changes in what’s known as high-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV).

The research team found that those who managed to build a better support network were healthier overall. Their study showed that immigrants who were able to form friendships and get involved in new social networks during their first five months in Canada had increases in heart rate variability, while those who remained socially isolated over time showed a decrease.

“In the weeks and months that follow a major move, people often find it hard to make new friends and establish a solid social network,” said Jean-Philippe Gouin, Ph.D.,.

“This study shows that such prolonged social isolation can have a negative effect on physical health by impacting our parasympathetic functioning. That applies not just to international students but to anyone moving to a new country or city or anyone experiencing major social changes.”

He said people who move to a different environment must reach out to others. “The more quickly you manage to integrate socially in your new home, the healthier you’ll be. It’s easier said than done, but it’s worth it.”

The findings were published in the journal Annals of Behavioural Medicine.

Source of this article: Strong Social Support Aids Physical and Mental Health