Touch and social support influence interpersonal synchrony and pain

Abstract Interpersonal touch and social support can influence physical health, mental well-being and pain. However, the mechanisms by which supportive touch promotes analgesia are not well understood. In Study 1, we tested how three kinds of social support from a romantic partner (passive presence, gentle stroking and handholding) affect pain ratings and skin conductance responses (SCRs). Overall, support reduced pain ratings in women, but not men, relative to baseline. Support decreased pain-related SCRs in both women and men. Though there were no significant differences across the three support conditions, effects were largest during handholding. Handholding also reduced SCRs in the supportive partner. Additionally, synchronicity in couples’ SCR was correlated with reductions in self-reported pain, and individual differences in synchrony were correlated with the partner’s trait empathy. In Study 2, we re-analyzed an existing dataset to explore fMRI activity related to individual differences in handholding analgesia effects in women. Increased activity in a distributed set of brain regions, including valuation-encoding frontostriatal areas, was correlated with lower pain ratings. These results may suggest that social support can reduce pain by changing the value of nociceptive signals. This reduction may be moderated by interpersonal synchrony and relationship dynamics.

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Social support, individual differences and well-being: A study of small business entrepreneurs and employees

Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology ◽

10.1111/j.2044-8325.1993.tb00540.x ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 66 (4) ◽

pp. 285-302 ◽

Cited By ~ 75

Author(s):

Yue Wah Chay

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Individual Differences ◽

Small Business ◽

Well Being

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Findings From the Virginia Cognitive Aging Project: Individual Differences, Well-Being, and Cognition

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.1984 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 591-592

Author(s):

Karen Siedlecki

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Individual Differences ◽

Cognitive Functioning ◽

Individual Difference ◽

Cognitive Aging ◽

Cognitive Activity ◽

Well Being ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The Relationship

Abstract The Virginia Cognitive Aging Project (VCAP) is a cross-sectional and longitudinal study of cognitive functioning in a large sample of healthy community-dwelling adults between the ages of18-99 years (Salthouse,2009). Data are collected on several domains of cognitive functioning and subjective ratings of cognition, as well as a myriad of individual difference characteristics including self-reports of physical activity, cognitive activity, social support, personality, well-being, and affective measures. This symposium focuses on findings from VCAP that examine cross-sectional and longitudinal links between individual difference characteristics, indicators of well-being, and objective and subjective cognition. These topics include the cross-sectional assessment of >5,000 participants on the mediating role of Need for Cognition on the relationship between cognition and well-being (Yazdani & Siedlecki) and the relationship between social support and ratings of subjective cognition (Mueller & Minahan). Jung uses cross-lagged analyses to assess temporal relationships between physical and cognitive activity and cognition. Falzarano et al. present findings regarding the longitudinal relationship between subjective and objective measures of cognition. Finally, Minahan and Siedlecki present findings examining the temporal relationship between ratings of loneliness and depression over time. The symposium provides insights into the complex role of individual differences characteristics and cognitive functioning across the adult lifespan.

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Social network and emotional intelligence in pregnancy and postpartum

Interpersona An International Journal on Personal Relationships ◽

10.5964/ijpr.v12i2.300 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 164-179

Author(s):

Jennifer L. Rode ◽

Suzanne M. Stricklin ◽

Stephanie Nicely

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Emotional Intelligence ◽

Social Network ◽

Individual Differences ◽

Well Being ◽

Functional Social Support ◽

Pregnancy And Postpartum ◽

Perinatal Women ◽

In Pregnancy

Although evidence supports the role of social support in perinatal women's well-being, the dynamics of these relationships remain unclear. We examined changes in social support and social network from prenatal to postpartum periods from 168 perinatal women. Individual differences in emotional intelligence (EI) were examined as moderating these changes. Results suggest that functional social support increases in postpartum while social network decreases. EI significantly moderated change in functional social support from fathers such that functional social support from a woman's father was significantly higher in women with higher EI. Changes in social network were not significantly affected by EI.

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Conflict Avoidance in Old Age

GeroPsych ◽

10.1024/1662-9647/a000168 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 30 (2) ◽

pp. 61-70 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Lia Oberhauser ◽

Andreas B. Neubauer ◽

Eva-Marie Kessler

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Perceived Social Support ◽

Well Being ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Conflict Avoidance ◽

Subjective Well Being ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Adult Lifespan ◽

Set Up

Abstract. Conflict avoidance increases across the adult lifespan. This cross-sectional study looks at conflict avoidance as part of a mechanism to regulate belongingness needs ( Sheldon, 2011 ). We assumed that older adults perceive more threats to their belongingness when they contemplate their future, and that they preventively react with avoidance coping. We set up a model predicting conflict avoidance that included perceptions of future nonbelonging, termed anticipated loneliness, and other predictors including sociodemographics, indicators of subjective well-being and perceived social support (N = 331, aged 40–87). Anticipated loneliness predicted conflict avoidance above all other predictors and partially mediated the age-association of conflict avoidance. Results suggest that belongingness regulation accounts may deepen our understanding of conflict avoidance in the second half of life.

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