Lesson 6 - Be a Social Animal

Investigators measure the availability of close personal relationships asking if you have:

  Yes No
Someone special whom you can lean on  
Someone who feels very close to you    
Someone to confide in    
Someone to share feelings with    

Other researchers who measure social support might ask questions like:

  Yes No
If you were broke, is there a friend who would loan you money?  
If you were sick, is there a friend who would help take care of your children    
until you felt better? (If you don't have children, how about your pets or plants?)
   

If most of the answers to these types of questions are "No", you might have a higher risk of disease and death from all causes, according to many scientific studies that have been done. These include increased risk of:

  • Heart attack
  • Stroke
  • Pregnancy complications
  • Some cancers

 

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