Promotes Positive Coping Mechanisms

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Being surrounded by a network of supportive people encourages the adoption of positive coping mechanisms. Instead of turning to harmful stress relievers like substance abuse, a support network often encourages healthy habits such as regular exercise, proper nutrition, and meditation. These positive lifestyle changes can substantially lower stress levels.

Being surrounded by a network of supportive people encourages the adoption of positive coping mechanisms. Instead of turning to harmful stress relievers like substance abuse, a support network often encourages healthy habits such as regular exercise, proper nutrition, and meditation. These positive lifestyle changes can substantially lower stress levels.

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Rebecca Appleton
at Dakota Digital
Thu, 04/11/2024 - 12:12

I feel that a good support network doesn’t just promote positive coping mechanisms - it’s actually of the utmost importance. I remember reading about the Rat Park experiment that took place in the late 1970s. In traditional laboratory experiments on addiction, rats were placed in solitary confinement in small cages and given access to two water bottles, one containing pure water and the other containing water laced with drugs like morphine or cocaine. Unsurprisingly, these rats often became addicted to the drugged water, leading to the conclusion that the drugs themselves were inherently addictive.

However, a team of scientists proposed that the isolated and barren conditions of the typical laboratory cage might be contributing significantly to the rats' addiction. To test this hypothesis, they designed a different environment called "Rat Park” where the rats had plenty of enrichment and, most of all, the company of other rats; after all they’re social creatures, much like humans. Unsurprisingly - although for the time it was a groundbreaking discovery - rats in the Rat Park barely touched the drugged water. Being part of a social group as opposed to total isolation made all the difference, and we aren’t all that different. We are social creatures, and a support network is a basic need for each of us.

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