Association between social capital and physical and mental health

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K01827
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Applied health science
• Research Institution: Aichi Medical University
• Principal Investigator: Matsunaga Masahiro 愛知医科大学, 医学部, 講師 (00533960)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: ソーシャル・キャピタル / 幸福感 / ＭＲＩ / 遺伝子多型

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Social capital is known to be the social resource that shows the social connection between people, such as trust in organizations and communities. In this study, we focused on the contagion of happiness that arises from the connection between people, and indicated the association between abilities of empathy and happiness contagion in young adults and childhood family environment. It was also found that happiness contagion required activity in brain regions related to the theory of mind (the ability to estimate and understand the mind of others), and several genes modified its function. Furthermore, it was found that the influence of genes on happiness contagion differed depending on the culture such as collectivism and individualism.

Free Research Field

健康科学・衛生学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

現代社会はストレス社会であり、仕事での悩み、人間関係での悩みなど日常生活で悩みやストレスを国民の半数が感じている。ストレスに対応し心身の健康を維持・増進させるために、最近、人と人との社会的なつながりを示すソーシャル・キャピタルという資源が注目を集めている。社会的なつながりがなく、孤独感を感じていると、喫煙、飲酒、運動不足、肥満などよりも健康に悪影響を及ぼすことが示されているからである。人と人との社会的なつながりを強化し、ソーシャル・キャピタルを豊かにすることで心身の健康が増進され、様々な疾病発症リスクの低下が期待できる。