This paper summarizes current evidence of social relations and health, looking specifically at how social integration and support are related to health behaviors and outcomes. The paper reports that social relations benefit health behaviors, including chronic illness self-management, and decrease suicidal tendency.
Understanding psychological factors that may be linked to disease can lead to innovative prevention and treatment efforts. This study examines a positive psychological characteristic—purpose in life—and its relationship to stroke.
Positive psychological well-being, especially optimism, protects against the incidence, and somewhat against the progression, of cardiovascular disease through a broad array of mechanisms, according to this extensive literature review.