Teenage friendships affect health in adulthood and are linked to conformity vs individuality

There is a link between teenage friendships and adult health – and it depends of whether teenagers are impacted by conformity or individuality.

Teenagers want friendships, and they want to fit in with their friends – generally – and this is called ‘blending in’ or conformity. Conformity is both a pressure and a need. But what happens to individuality? Now scientists think blending in leads to better health in adulthood (Pacific Standard, August 21, 2015).

A study by University of Virginia psychologists in America, published in the journal, Psychological Science, finds that by a person’s mid to late 20s their health can be ‘robustly predicted’ by their adolescent experiences. Specifically, the quality (not quantity) of their friendships in their teenage years and their ‘pattern of acquiescence to social norms’ can determine their adult health. Remaining close friends with teenage buddies (instead of separating from the ‘pack’) has long-term implications for adult physical health.

Joseph Allen of UV said that ‘intense adolescent focus on forming and maintaining peer relationships may well result from an instinctive recognition that these relationships are linked to wellbeing.’

UV researchers studied 171 participants as a subset of a longitudinal study of adolescent peer influences. Each participant was assessed annually during five years from the ages of 13-17 years of age. Each year participants provided researchers the name of their closest same-sex friend (which could change from year to year). The participant and the friend were surveyed about the quality of their friendship and asked five questions abut ‘acquiescence to peer norms’ (i.e. conformity). The same 171 participants were contacted again at age 25 years, and for the following two years, to assess their physical and emotional health.

The results showed that the higher the perceived quality of their teenage friendship, the better the participants’ health 10 years later.

Researchers also found that the teenagers who were ‘allocentric’ had better health as an adult. Allocentric behaviour is ‘acting as a follower more than a leader, being low in assertiveness, and being readily influenced by peers.’

Researchers think that ‘the chronic stress of social isolation has been linked to an array of negative physiological changes.’ There is also stress for teenagers who want to be individual and also conform with their friendship group, without social isolation. Hence many teenagers put the desires of their peers as a higher priority than their own individual goals – or find like-minded groups where their individuality can shine.

Hence there is a fine balance between seeking autonomy (individualism) versus seeking conformity. Conformity vs individuality will be a challenge for many teenagers, and those who conform and are allocentric – non-assertive followers – will reap the health benefits in adulthood.

http://www.psmag.com/health-and-behavior/find-friends-it-is-good-for-your-health

2016 update on Rike Park, Tbilisi: from construction to busy park

From a flat patch of uninteresting dirt, Rike Park in Tbilisi, Georgia, has transformed in four years (from 2014-2016) into a busy park full of trees, flower beds, sculptures, fountains, and events. Rike (Rikhe) Park is on the left bank of the Mt’k’vari River (the Kura River) near the Old City of Tbilisi. The Peace Bridge links the right bank to Rike Park. Rike Park is below the hillside Presidential Palace and, via cable car, it is the starting point for the ride to Sololaki Ridge (with the Narikala Fortress and the Mother of Georgia statue). The glass box-shaped cable car terminus was opened on 23 June 2012, and since then the park has continually developed into a ‘people’s park’ where people can walk around, eat at the nearby restaurants, sit next to the statue of American president Ronald Reagan, climb the steps to Avlabari district, and access the sights of Meidan Square, the Peace Bridge, the Metekhi Church, the Old City, the waterfall, the sulphur baths, and t...

The acacia thorn trees of Kenya

There are nearly 800 species of acacia trees in the world, and most don’t have thorns. The famous "whistling thorn tree" and the Umbrella Thorn tree of Kenya are species of acacia that do have thorns, or spines. Giraffes and other herbivores normally eat thorny acacia foliage, but leave the whistling thorn alone. Usually spines are no deterrent to giraffes. Their long tongues are adapted to strip the leaves from the branches despite the thorns. The thorny acacia like dry and hot conditions. The thorns typically occur in pairs and are 5-8 centimetres (2-3 inches) long. Spines can be straight or curved depending on the species. MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Suda...

Hop on hop off bus tourism comes to Tbilisi, Georgia

City Sightseeing buses have arrived in Tbilisi. The iconic red double-decker buses, a feature of many cities around the world since the company was established in Seville, Spain in 1999, is now in six continents and almost 100 cities. The company established its Tbilisi business in November 2013, with its operations commencing in February 2014. The 90-minute tour stops at 11 major locations in Tbilisi (with 2 to 5 minute waiting times at each location): the Old City (where it commences), Freedom Square, Rose Revolution Square, Marjanishvili Square, the Dry Bridge, Konka, Avlabari, Metekhi, Akhundov Museum, the Sulfur Baths, and European Square. Passengers can hop off at any stop and see the sights, hopping back onto the next bus at any time. Alternatively, passengers can remain on the bus for the whole tour and take photographs when the bus stops at each location. There are one day (24-hour) passes (for 35 lari – about $20) and 48-hour passes for 55 lari, with family d...

FEAST OR FAMINE

Search This Blog