People who have a good peer support system at work may live longer than people who don’t have such a support system, according research published by the American Psychological Association.
This effect of peer social support on the risk of mortality was most pronounced among those between the ages of 38 and 43. Yet similar support from workers’ supervisors had no effect on mortality, the researchers found.
In addition, men who felt like they had control and decision authority at work also experienced this “protective effect,” according to the study, published in the May issue of the APA journal Health Psychology. However, control and decision authority increased the risk of mortality among women in the sample.
“[P]eer social support, which could represent how well a participant is socially integrated in his or her employment context, is a potent predictor of the risk of all causes of mortality,” the researchers wrote. “An additional (unexpected) finding is that the effect of control on mortality risk was positive for the men but negative for the women.”
The researchers…