What is social influence?
Social influence can be defined as the impact other people have on our own thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. One particularly important type of social influence is called social support and can happen in many different ways. Perhaps a reason why you decided to join 1-2-3 Fit was because of the built-in support provided by the Coaches. These individuals are there to help you develop an effective, safe, and fun workout that will help you reach your fitness goals. By providing information on how to design and implement your fitness program, he or she is providing informational support. If you have a friend who tells you that you seem to have a lot more energy since you have started your fitness program, this person is providing emotional support. Finally, if you have a friend who is willing to meet you early in the morning for a walk before going to work, then this person is providing you with tangible or instrumental support that makes it possible to stay with your fitness program. For those of you who are beginning exercisers or those who are starting up again, getting support from others can help you become a regular exerciser.
Even exercisers who prefer to exercise on their own can benefit from social support. Keep in mind that social support does not have to be spoken – seeing others like you being successful can inspire and motivate you. In a study we recently completed, we found that women who preferred to exercise on their own still valued the chance to exercise in a mutually supportive environment. That person exercising next to you may not talk a lot, but that doesn't mean he or she isn’t benefiting from the shared experience of exercising.
Making physical activity a social event
We all go through periods when we feel a lack of motivation to exercise. We may even fall into the trap of making excuses not to exercise. A good way to avoid this trap is to call a friend or two and arrange to meet for a walk, bike ride, or a trip to the club. By doing this, you can motivate yourself in a couple ways. First, you can look forward to spending some time with friends engaging in a fun activity. Second, because you have committed to meeting your friends at a specific time and place, you will feel obligated to follow through with your plan. The people you meet at 1-2-3 Fit may be looking for ways to supplement their activity – and exercising with a buddy is an established way to increase longer term adherence to exercise. If your club doesn’t already have it, suggest an “activity board” where people could post their favorite activities and search out others with similar interests – perhaps there are other kayakers, rollerbladers or hikers just looking for someone to share the activity with!
Helping others can help you stay on track
As we have already discussed, there are a number of ways other people can help you stay motivated to be physically active. But don’t forget that social support can be reciprocal. Many adults comment that they would do more activity “if I saw a purpose in it.” Some great examples of this include working in a community garden where the food is donated to people in need, or volunteering to walk in a race to benefit a particular organization. But helping yourself can help others in more indirect ways, too. Being a healthy exerciser gives you more energy to play with your children or grandchildren, and that quality interaction certainly benefits them. You could also introduce a friend to the joys of being active who otherwise might not do it on their own – again, making the effort to ask the person to join you may be just what the individual needs. It’s that concept of “paying it forward” put to practice. And providing support to someone else may not only be good for them, but in turn, may re-focus and re-energize your efforts.
In sum, it is clear that the social context matters. 1-2-3 Fit was designed with this principle in mind. There are people there waiting to provide support, and the context is structured to optimize positive social influence. As members you can and should be role models for healthy behaviors for each other, and particularly for new members. We should honor the wishes of exercisers who prefer to keep to themselves, but understand that all members benefit from a welcoming, mutually supportive environment.
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This article was contributed by Diane Whaley and Blake Rushin of the University of Virginia. Copyright 2007. |
