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Social support can improve performance, reduce stress, increase well-being, and change one's physiology.

The benefits of social support can be experienced through the power of imagination.

Engaging in "helping behaviors" has positive effects for the giver.

The other day on my morning walk, I saw a magnificent flock of birds flying together in a perfect "V" shape through the morning sky, like a group of dancers gliding in harmony across a universal stage. It stopped me in my tracks.

I was reminded of my biking days, when I would ride hard for 30-plus miles in a local bike group, often drafting behind one another at paces sometimes close to 20 miles per hour. It felt exhilarating moving through space together in sync.

This feeling of drafting is hard to describe, but when you're in someone else’s draft, the effort is greatly reduced from what it would be if you were trying to maintain those paces on your own. What would be nearly impossible to sustain alone becomes quite possible when together in a tightly packed group, or even just riding behind one person.

I have found that this phenomenon is true not just for biking; it also has a lot to do with our human emotional experience. When we encounter something challenging—maybe we're trying to accomplish something or are going through a difficult experience—having others to lean on can give us the power and energy to get through.

What would otherwise feel impossible to manage—a physical challenge, a loss, a heartbreak, a scary moment of uncertainty or self-doubt, a hurdle toward achieving something—becomes much more bearable in the presence of a supportive other.

Social support can help boost performance

In an interesting study looking at the effects of social support on physical performance, subjects were asked to perform a handgrip task, which had varying levels of difficulty. When........

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