Lecture 10: Social Relationships and Well-Being Flashcards
How does social comparison influence well being
Depends on the type of social comparison
Upward comparisons
* can reduce happiness if increases na (ex. focus on best self)
* can increase happiness if we are inspired (ex. focus on usual self)
Downward comparisons
* can increase happiness
* can reduce happiness if we identify with target of comparison
Depends of the frequency of social comparisons
* frequent social comparison unrelated to pa but positively related to na
Social relationships as both an ANTECEDENT and outcome of well-being
- cross-sectional studies examples:
- people are happier when they are around other people
- social interactions one of the most enjoyable points of the day
- people tend to express more pa when with others
- people with close relationships cope better with stress, lower prevalence of depression
- social relationships can act as a buffer to major life stresses
- social domains most important for life satisfaction
- social isolation & loneliness (actual & perceived) negatively associated with well-being
- social relationships associated with a 50% increased likelihood of survival
- higher power strivings to detriment of social relationships negatively related to well-being
Social relationships both antecedent and OUTCOME of well-being
- happy people are more likely to have friends than unhappy people
- happy people are more likely to get married, stay married and by happy in marriage than unhappy people
- happy people are more likely to have closer and more supportive social relationships than unhappy people
- even our social interactions with those to whom we have weak-ties also influence well-being
How can social relationships be detrimental to well-being
- cross-sectionalstudies
- social relationships characterized by conflict, poor quality, or abuse lower well-being * relationship dissolution reduces well-being
Main effects models
- social relationships provide direct benefits to well-being through influences that are not explicitly intended as help or support (ex. conforming to health-promoting norms, meaning in life, self-esteem)
- ex. friend asking you to go to the gym
Stress buffering
- social relationships provide resources (ex. informational, emotional, tangible) that promote adaptive behavioral (or biological) responses to stressors i.e SOCIAL SUPPORT
- thus, social relationships help protect us from the negative effects of stressors
Several factors affect the provision and receipt of social
- individual differences will affect how we seek & provide support
- sos and rc are provided through a wide variety of behaviours
- ex. emotional, esteem, informational, instrumental
- sos & rc can be provided through multiple social relationships
- sos & rc are provided through sensitive and responsive support
- not just the type and amount but also the manner * specific circumstances/events
- ex. pandemic-related lockdowns
Early life relationships and well-being
some evidence that early social experiences influence children’s well-being
* ex. securely attached infants showed more pa than insecurely attached infants
- mixed evidence of the effect of earliest social experiences on later well-being
- twin studies show weak effect of parenting on well-being later in life
- (few) longitudinal studies
- some studies show attachment security in infancy predicts childhood well-being
- some studies do not find a relation between infant attachment and childhood well-being
Attachment
- humans evolved an innate, biologically-based attachment system because such a system increased the survival of offspring
- based on repeated parent-child interactions, form internal working models of availability and quality of interactions which then guide behaviour
- individual differences in quality of infant attachment
- but, mixed evidence as to relation between infant attachment quality and outcomes later in life
- continuity of parenting style might be more important
Sibling relationships and well being
- why do sibling relationships influence well-being?
- sources of support and conflict
During childhood
* quality of sibling relationship influences well-being
* high hostility/conflict negatively related to well-being
During adolescence
* positive sibling relationships related to higher well-being
* perceptions of unfair differential parenting negatively related to well-being
Friendships and Well being list
- friendships provide pleasure & enjoyment
- friendships build social trust (i.e., social capital), which enhances well-being
- friendships help us cope with life stressors, which enhances well-being
- friendships promote better health, which enhances well-being
- friendships provide emotional, social and instrumental support, which enhances well-being
- face-to-faceinteractionswithfriendspositivelyrelatedtoswb
- frequently meeting friends more strongly positively related to swb than number of friends
- greater heterogeneity of friendship network positively related to well-being
Online relationships and well being
Ex.early studies found negative effects of online social networking in site usage on well-being
- social comparisons, envy, fomo (feelings of missing out)
- ex.some studies have shown positive effects of online social networking site usage
on well-being - connection, build social capital, self-expression & validation, capitalization
- research suggests a complex relationship between online social networking/social media usage and well-being
Study online relationships and well-being
Study 1 Main Results:
* Number of FB
friends positively correlated with:
* Overall happiness
* LS
* PA
* Extraversion
Once extraversion controlled for # of FB friendship no longer related to well-being
Study 2 obtained self- and informant- ratings
* Similar findings
Romantic relationships
Being in a romantic relationship (with a cohabitating partner or steady dating partner) is associated with higher well-being compared to being single or dating multiple people
- the greater the commitment in the relationship, the stronger the relation between the romantic relationship and swb
- compared mz twins with different relationship status
- twin with partner had higher ls than twin without partner
Marriage and well-being
Generally, married individuals are happier than never-married, divorced, separated and widowed individuals
*marriage positively and modestly related to swb
* married individuals compared to divorced
* greater ls & pa
* lower na
* some differences across nations
* relativelyquickadaptationtomarriage
