What Gender Differences Have Been Found in the Effects of Social

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The Answer is The answer should include the following information: For social support, men tend to rely on close relationships with their spouse or partner, whereas women are more likely to rely on their spouse plus a group of close friends. As a consequence, men may be more vulnerable to social isolation, particularly following the death of a spouse. Researchers think that this pattern might at least partially explain why the health benefits of being married are more pronounced for men versus women. Also, when stressful events occur, women are more likely to reach out for help, and their friends respond by rallying around them. The gender differences in social support are not all positive for women, though. Compared to men, women tend to be more vulnerable to some of the problematic aspects of social support. Researchers think that this may occur because women are more likely than men to serve as providers of support, which can be a very stressful role. Further, women may be more vulnerable to the stress contagion effect, which occurs when you become upset by negative life events that happen to other people that you care about. Women are more likely to fall victim to stress contagion due to issues in their larger social circle, whereas men are likely to only care about what happens to their immediate family--their wives and children, for instance.

What Gender Differences Have Been Found in the Effects of Social

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