Social Connections and Well-Being: With Whom Do You Identify and Why?

Feeling connected to others is a basic human need, but there are types of social connections that have yet to be examined in relation to one’s well-being. We hypothesized that identifying with people in one’s community, country, and world would all predict unique variance in well-being. We also hypothesized that the association between identification with all humanity and well-being is stronger among ethnic minorities and participants in outreach programs. Study 1 (n = 507 college sample) and Study 2 (n = 258 middle adulthood sample) participants completed surveys that assessed their varying identifications and well-being levels. Study 1 revealed that identifying with people in one’s community and country predicted well-being, but identifying with all humanity did not. Study 2 revealed the association between identification with all humanity and well-being to be stronger among members of minority groups than among members of the majority.