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Social Connections and Well-Being: With Whom Do You Identify and Why?

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Abstract

Feeling connected to others is a basic human need, but there are types of social connections that have yet to be examined in relation to one’s well-being. We hypothesized that identifying with people in one’s community, country, and world would all predict unique variance in well-being. We also hypothesized that the association between identification with all humanity and well-being is stronger among ethnic minorities and participants in outreach programs. Study 1 (n = 507 college sample) and Study 2 (n = 258 middle adulthood sample) participants completed surveys that assessed their varying identifications and well-being levels. Study 1 revealed that identifying with people in one’s community and country predicted well-being, but identifying with all humanity did not. Study 2 revealed the association between identification with all humanity and well-being to be stronger among members of minority groups than among members of the majority.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Eastern Kentucky University, 127 Cammack Bldg., 521 Lancaster Ave., Richmond, KY, 40475, USA

    Jenna M. Hodges & Jonathan S. Gore

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  1. Jenna M. Hodges
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  2. Jonathan S. Gore
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Correspondence to Jenna M. Hodges.

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Hodges, J.M., Gore, J.S. Social Connections and Well-Being: With Whom Do You Identify and Why?. Psychol Stud 64, 436–446 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12646-019-00506-1

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