Social Support Research Paper

Social support is the idea that being encouraged and liked by intimate family and friends promotes happiness, good health and well-being. It has been consistently proven effective in coping with stress and/or stressful situations. What interested me about this concept is that I can relate to it because I often find it helpful to turn to trusted individuals when dealing with certain life challenges. I was also fascinated by the positive results from the findings of the studies done on social support. Therefore I want to take advantage of the benefits it can have on my own health.

When I was homeschooled I was surrounded by many close friends. Since many have departed I find it quite interesting that there’s a correlation to overall decline …show more content…
That made a lot of sense to me because I recall that I seldom got sick during those times. Even if I did, I often recovered quite rapidly. In one study, two groups of volunteers were asked to inhale nose drops infected with a virus. The results consistently demonstrated that individuals with a stronger social support system were more resistant to cold viruses and less likely to catch a cold. Furthermore, when healthy individuals did catch a cold they produced far less mucus. Therefore, it can be concluded the individuals with a strong social support system were far more healthier, had a stronger immune system and were less prone to illness than those who did not have a strong social support system. …show more content…
My main objective is to replicate the lifestyle that made me the healthiest. During those times I was active in a lot of extracurricular activities with our homeschool group. I was also physically active, I ate well and I was around more friends more frequently. Life had changed dramatically once I entered high school. I became very stressed and was often stereotyped as being antisocial and unitelligent because I was homeschooled. I was exposed to a lot of pseudo, hierarchical mentorship which didn’t allow me to be an active participant or experience any sense of achievement. I was also subject to a lot of harassment and unsanitary environments. Worst of all, I was nearly forced to complete high school in that kind of environment. By the end of my sophomore year my health declined to were I was hospitalized for an asthma flare which had otherwise been well controlled. I knew there had to be a change. So I decided go for a GED while being held hostage by my own father. I did so successfully and completed my first year of college. I decided to relocate to pursue my passion for the culinary arts. Most of my friends had departed so I had no social life. Eventually, I was blind to how much stress I was actually under and by the time I had met a new friend who I’m in close contact with now it was too late. My health had declined once again to the point where each spring semester was a loss. Although I’m under less stress and have

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