Strong social support groups may sometimes only be about homogeneity, conformity, and xenophobia
Having social support is shown to lower the stress-response in primates and humans. Also, the low social capital that comes with income inequality can lead to more stress and poor health. So having a strong network of friends and being in a community teeming with social capital can help with managing stress, but there is a potential downside. Amid all that nice, utopian social capital business lurks the inconvenient fact that a tightly cohesive, cooperative community with shared values may only really be about homogeneity, conformity, and xenophobia. So social capital isn’t always warm and fuzzy.
References
- Sapolsky, Robert. (2004). Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers Chapter 18. Managing Stress (p. 573). New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company.
Metadata
Type:🔴 Tags: Psychology / Social Psychology / Sociology Status:☀️