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Blake Rushin, MS & Diane Whaley, PhD
Sport & Exercise Psychology
University of Virginia
"Pass it On" - The Power of Social Influence
We had an article on imagery written for this month, but we thought it would be a lost opportunity if we didn’t follow up on the big headline of the past week (no pun intended) – that is, that “friends make you fat”. A friend and colleague of mine from the University of North Texas, Dr. Christy Greenleaf, wrote the following article for our sport and exercise psychology organization’s website (http://www.aaasponline.org/Resource-Center/health-and-fitness/articles/fight-obesity) – I thought I’d share it with all of you (with permission), then add a few of our own thoughts at the end. Enjoy!
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Overweight? Don’t blame your friends... Be a role model for change!
A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that obesity is “socially contagious” (http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/357/4/370).
According to the results of this study, you are about 57% more likely to gain weight if you have a friend who has gained weight. Most news outlets have chosen to sensationalize the findings of this study, using headlines such as “Find yourself packing it on? Blame friends.”
While these news articles primarily discussed the negative influence of your friends’ behavior, the results of this study have very positive practical health implications. In fact, the authors of the study concluded that one’s social network “might be exploited to spread positive health behaviors” (Christakis & Fowler, 2007, p. 378).
Experts from the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) emphasize the importance of social influences on weight management and related health behaviors.
- We know that social support from family and friends often is a critical factor in whether or not a person will succeed in changing a health behavior.
- Although people often try to improve their health on their own, recent research indicates that you will be more successful if you involve friends and family.
- Health and exercise psychology research supports that health interventions are more effective when social support is incorporated within intervention programs.
You can maximize your efforts to manage your weight or improve your health by recognizing the important role of being socially connected. Here are a few suggestions:
- Enlist the support of your family and friends – let them know what you behaviors you are trying to change, why it is import to you, and how they can support your efforts.
- Do active social activities – regularly meet friends to walk while you catch up, bike to a healthy lunch, or engage in other health promoting activities.
- Find good role models – identify people whose healthy behaviors you can copy.
- Become a role model – encourage your friends and family who might also like to improve their health behaviors.
- Become more aware of social influences - your social environment affects your attitudes and behaviors. If the focus of your social activities typically centers on going out to eat, suggest trying something new, like walking in the park or going for a hike. Surround yourself with active people.
- Encourage family and friends – recognize your ability to support other people who are struggling with their weight or inactivity.
This is very consistent with several issues we’ve discussed over the last few months: (1) That the social environment is VERY important; (2) friends can have an enormous impact on your behavior SO; (3) you should actively recruit friends and family to support your exercise-related behaviors. This is just as applicable to exercise behavior as it is to eating behaviors (or smoking, wearing bicycle helmets, or using sunscreen, for that matter). Health behaviors can be contagious – so let’s all strive to be good role models of healthy behaviors – pass it on!
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This article was contributed by Diane Whaley and Blake Rushin of the University of Virginia. Copyright 2007.
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