Professor Fabio Sani, Chair of Social Psychology, believes that social scientists have a vital role to play in understanding the socio-psychological determinants of mental health and how they can be addressed.
Rates of mental illness have been rising in the developed world for decades but the reasons behind this growing problem, and possible solutions, remain hotly contested in the academic, medical and political spheres.
While some remain convinced that psychological distress is related to particular syndromes and can be cured by adjusting the chemical balance of the brain, others see the causes as multi-faceted and may favour counselling or cognitive behavioural therapy as a means of treating patients.
For some the problem lies within the individual, while others believe societal factors are driving increasing rates of depression, anxiety, body image disorders and other conditions, including physical ailments.
Professor Fabio Sani’s research concerns the links between group identification – the extent to which one has a sense of belonging to a social group, coupled with a sense of commonality with in-group members – and lifestyle choices and mental health. It shows that individuals who fail to derive value from their interactions with family, friends, colleagues and other groups are much more likely to be depressed, drink heavily, eat unhealthily, smoke, and fail to exercise.
“On one level this is not surprising,” said Professor Sani.
“We are profoundly ‘social’ creatures, and our sense of self is largely derived from our membership in social groups and from our shared identities. Inability to realise our needs for social engagement may lead to psychological distress.
“The problem is that we live in societies holding a very individualistic ethos; societies whose dominant values are individual success, status, and money, rather than community life and companionship.
“Perhaps it is not coincidence that over the past decades people have become much more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety, and young people are becoming more prone to self-harming, experiencing low self-esteem, and developing eating disorders. Social psychologists are asking themselves, ‘why should this be the case?’
“Might the current individualistic and materialistic cultural ethos be responsible for this increasing rate of mental illness? Many believe so, and I generally share this view.”
“The problem is that we live in societies holding a very individualistic ethos; societies whose dominant values are individual success, status, and money, rather than community life and companionship.”
The research interests of the Psychology programme align with the University’s ambitions to transform lives through improving social, cultural and physical wellbeing. One of the main themes that Professor Sani and his colleagues work around is Social Inclusion and Health. This theme includes research on the social and psychological dimensions of physical and mental health.
“Identifications with social groups are very different to mere membership and contacts,” he explained. “It’s not necessarily about the extent to which you talk to other people, or participate in social activities. Instead, it relates to the extent to which you subjectively identify with a group, the extent to which you have a sense of belonging to groups and feel accepted.”
Professor Sani’s studies have consistently shown that if people identify with groups they are less likely to develop psychological problems like depression, anxiety and even paranoia; they are also less likely to experience unpleasant anxiety-related symptoms such as depersonalisation or panic attacks.
Professor Sani’s team also found that group identifications impacted on more general health dimensions. For example, people who identify with groups are less likely to experience various types of pain such as back pain and neck pain or headaches. There are also early indications that the impact might extend to hypertension and obesity.
“My personal opinion is that body and mind are inextricably linked,” he continued. “Many researchers now believe the distinction between the two is not very useful. Depression is a physical as well as mental illness. People who experience depression or anxiety normally display physical symptoms such as bodily pain, problems with digestion, headaches etc. The nature of the link between body and mind is still relatively unclear, but there is undoubtedly a strong relationship there.”
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