Healthy Social Networks

Recently in class we were asked to read an article about how social networks can affect a person's health. At first I thought that this meant that if a person is involved in more social networks then they have a good chance of being happy which will ultimately affect their health. This is not what the article was trying to claim. The article discusses how being in a social network can help you to become immune to different viruses. It says that being around people will build your immune system and help you to remain healthy. Then the article describes the different types of social networks. The two types that it talks about are the dyad and the triad. A dyad is a social relationship between two nodes or social units. A triad is a social relationship among three nodes. Although the difference between them seems minor, in reality it is major. A dyad is a strong but unstable relationship. Both partners involved tend to be very intensely and intimately involved. A triad however consists of alliances and is more stable. This is because there is always a mediator that can help to keep the entire group together. I think that this makes sense because I have a brother and a sister and when there is an argument between two of us, usually the third one will try to mediate and fix the problem. I found an article that further studies the effects of social networks on people's health. The article discusses how social networks are both good and bad for a person's health.