The Importance of Social Support

The Importance of Social Support

The importance of social support has largely been established in the academic literature. Indeed, studies have shown that people with more social ties are less likely to get sick, for example to get the flu, according to one study. Needless to say, in today’s world, with the growing popularity and almost omnipresence of social media and social networking Websites, it seems warranted to claim that sociability has become ever more important. In fact, sociability may even be conducive to finding a job!

Perhaps, one’s behaviour is reflected in one’s social surroundings. Image: Megan Jorgenson (Elena)

For example, psychologists have said that the more social contacts one has, the more likely is the person to generate more social ties. Indeed, we seem to make friends through friends, or build novel relationships through established ones. Thus, to find a job, one is most likely to be able to brush up on one’s contacts (an advice often given to jobseekers), if one has a large social base. However, as is often the case, quality is more important than quantity. As the saying goes: “I’d rather have one dollar, than four quarters”, emphasizing the importance of true friends over mere fair-weather acquaintances.