Friendship Importance Around the World: Links to Cultural Factors, Health, and Well-Being.

Prioritizing friendship is associated with many health and well-being benefits. However, to date, there have been relatively few studies that have examined cultural moderators of the link between friendship and important outcomes. In other words, is prioritizing friendships more beneficial in some contexts than others? In the current study, we examined how culture- and country-level factors were associated with the importance people place on friendships and the benefits derived from this importance.

The Effect of Social Network Size and Composition on the Link Between Discrimination and Health Among Sexual Minorities.

Previous research has examined the link between discrimination and health in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender (LGBT) individuals. The purpose of this study was to examine if health-promoting variables, like social networks, might disrupt this association. Participants were 2,560 LGBT older adults who reported on the composition of their social network, level of discrimination, stress, and health/well-being.