Chapter 17. Well-Being

WB.35: Deep Dive – Social Support Strengthens Immune System

Approximate reading time: 1 minute

A family of 3 elephants on a savannah. The mother and father are on either side of a baby.
Figure SUP WB.12. Social support. Mother elephant gives closeness and social support to her baby.

Even in nonhuman animals, species mates can offer social support during times of stress. For example, elephants seem to be able to sense when other elephants are stressed and will often comfort them with physical contact — such as a trunk touch — or an empathetic vocal response (Krumboltz, 2014). This aspect of social support is not just emotional but also physiological, as it can boost the immune system. When we receive support, especially in stressful situations, our body’s defense mechanisms are strengthened, enhancing our ability to ward off illnesses.

Image Attributions

Figure SUP WB.12. Photo by David Heiling on Unsplash

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Introduction to Psychology: Supplemental Readings and Resources Copyright © 2024 by Jessica Motherwell McFarlane is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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