Social Support Groups

Posted by: Nicholas Hiep

Do you have any close friends that you can just goof off with? Anyone that you can just be dumb around and not have to worry about being judged? Well you may live longer! Read this blog and learn about how!

Having a good social support group is something that most tend too look over. Being able to have friends that can talk too and confide in is a great way to dissipate the emotion tension that you may be feeling. Not only is having friends good but if you can find someone that struggling like you are is great. Having someone go through the same struggles as you tend to make dealing with them just a little easier. This is because having a sense of companionship during a hardship can lead to a shared experience. Finding a sense of belonging in this world is correlated to having a healthy life. Throughout the years there have been many studies that have stated that being apart of something is a great coping mechanism. The buffer theory shows that having a social group can actually buffer stress and its effects on you. Many health psychologist have agreed that having someone that is supportive of you and helps you, can lead to a sense of compassion with the person that was struggling. This compassion will encourage them to continue helping others that are struggling as well. Compassion is shown through love, care and moral support and when it is shown stress can be alleviated. Social being is a basic human need. If a person can find a good social support group we can see an increase in life span and better quality of life. However, with the introduction of social media the number of close friends that a person will have in a lifetime has decreased. Social media provides a way for people to see each other but not foster a close and loving relationship with one another.

"Friends are those who ask how we are and wait to hear an answer"

-Ed Cunningham