Social contacts form your social network. This network is important for both your physical and mental health. The relations with other people can form a safety net for your health. However, social contacts can also have negative consequences. It can cause stress if you’ve many commitments around the relationship. Also struggles with others can cause stress. So humans need social contacts and they will strive for these contacts. But why is this necessary for us?

Dependence
Every person strives for independence, but people need social contacts and are depend on these contacts. We’re searching for security and safety, we would like to belong to a certain group. We also find appreciation and recognition important. Imagine you’re alone on the world and you’ve done something you’re very proud of. You would like to share your feelings with others but you can’t. How can you get this recognition if you can’t share it with anyone? Sharing your feelings and experiences with other people can give you extra satisfaction. This also makes us feel less lonely

Healthiness
Social interactions with other people have a positive influences on your mental health. It causes less goomy and depressive feelings. Having emotional support works protective for depression and anxiety. Also sociale support works as a buffer to stress. Talking to your environment about your stress experience can reduce the feelings of stress. Having social interaction increase your happiness. On the other way, negative interactions, like conflicts, can cause gloomy and anxiety feelings. This is due to the conflict because this causes stress feelings.

Positive and negative effects
Having a social network has positive and negative consequences. A social network can ensure that incorrect information is disseminated, but also the correct information. Social network has influence on taking over healthy and unhealthy standards. For example, if you’re used to eat three cookies everyday because your family does it too, you’ll take this into your own daily life. Furthermore, social contacts involve many obligations, especially women are struggling with this. They usually feel empathy for other people, and are there for people who have a hard time. Of course, this isn’t a really negative consequence, but if you’re feeling too much responsibility it will be negative for your mental health.