Accountability can be why some people like support groups

Positive role models are a benefit of support groups

Meeting individuals who are going through similar life experiences or navigating similar health journeys can provide inspiration and be a benefit of attending in-person or online support groups.

Support groups offer support, safety, and the relief of common experience

Gathering—virtually or otherwise—with people going through a similar experience or navigating the same disease can make someone feel like they're part of a larger community. Participants can receive and offer support, and potentially learn tips that could improve their quality of life or lead them to other resources.

Setting up a support group could be as simple as informally gathering in your kitchen

Groups may be as varied as an ad-hoc group that gets together to share information and encouragement or a longer-term group with a stated purpose and a facilitator, or perhaps look like anything in between.

'Men's groups' may fail if members aren't truly invested in growth

Individuals who are truly dedicated to the mission of personal growth and want to build connections and community are essential for this type of group's success. The groups require an ongoing commitment, and members must be open to feedback, which can be a challenge. The hope in these groups is to build a bond that extends beyond a weekly or biweekly meeting. One such group is The Alliance, which has hundreds of members divided into local chapters.

Support groups are typically free, which makes them widely accessible

The groups are typically run by someone with the same illness or set of experiences and can provide clear, practical knowledge about navigating healthcare resources, bureaucracy, and more. Since they function on trust, however, there are no legal confidentiality prohibiting people from sharing what's discussed. What's more, group leaders may not be uniformly trained or certified.

Journaling can improve mental wellbeing and promote positive interactions

Described as having therapy with someone who knows you well, documenting one's thoughts and feelings aids in information processing and can reveal personal issues. Methods include bullet journaling and gratitude, which a 2024 study linked to a longer lifespan.

Some bereavement support groups prohibit dating other members

This in-depth podcast covers many aspects of grieving and support. One aspect it discusses is that people may naturally feel a connection with others who are going through similar experiences and may want to build community that way, including pursuing romantic relationships. Such liaisons may be off-putting to some participants and that's why some groups prohibit dating other support group members.

Board games can improve life satisfaction and coping self-efficacy

They provide distraction, foster self-determination, and promote personal transformation. Purposeful engagement with games builds the capacity to face real-life problems.

Why do people join cults?

This quick TED video dives into some of the social psychology behind membership in radical cults, including famous ones where members took their own lives.

Fantasy sports can also offer community

Fantasy leagues often carry over from year to year, allowing people to hang on to (or forge) connections with others. Matthew Berry, a fantasy football analyst for NBC Sports, argues, “the truth is it’s all about the people. It’s not the draft, it’s not the trash talk or the punishments … It’s the people who make the draft and the trash talk and the punishments and the winning what it is.”

The reason some people love exercise may be because of their microbiome

Certain gut microbes in mice trigger dopamine release and drive motivation to exercise more. Scientists are investigating whether humans carry similar microbial patterns that influence our natural inclination towards movement, exploring how unseen microbial ecosystems may shape mammalian fitness behavior and reinforce innate reward pathways. (Some users may experience a paywall.)

The peer support movement may date back to 18th century France

At the Bicêtre Hospital, an asylum near Paris, Jean-Baptiste Pussin (who had previously been a patient but later led the hospital administration) tried to hire as many staff as possible from among recovered patients. Chief physician Philippe Pinel found these individuals to be kinder than other staff and "averse from active cruelty" which was common at the time. This approach allowed the facility to move away from shackling patients and other violent methods.

See America's loneliness and disconnection—charted

This series of graphs visually depicts various aspects of American society's connection to others, including the percentage of Americans who feel they have friends or family they can count on (90%), share of people who feel close to at least one other person (86%), and more.

Generally, NBA basketball teams whose players touch each other more win more games

This 2010 research finding underscores the importance of touch in promoting trust, bonding, and cooperation, thereby apparently improving team success. Touch also promotes cooperation in other settings: In a separate "prisoner's dilemma" study, when the experimenter gently touched some participants with a quick pat on the back, the touched individuals were more likely to cooperate and share with their partner.

Alcoholics Anonymous leads to increased abstinence compared with other treatments

That's according to a 2020 meta-review of 27 studies. This large analysis found that Alcoholics Anonymous had between 22 and 37 percent abstinence numbers as compared to other treatments that had figures of about 15 to 25 percent. AA was founded in 1935, in Ohio, and depends on peer connections and consistent meeting availability. (Some users may experience a paywall.)

Adhesion molecules and intercellular junctions allow cells to connect together

While some organic structures are mostly composed of non-cellular components (e.g., collagen and calcium phosphate minerals in bones), tissues and organs composed of connected cells rely on specialized proteins and connections to create watertight seals that protect cells within the interior from environmental molecules.

Smart cities support interdepartmental goals by facilitating shared infrastructure

Instead of working in isolation, municipal departments can share data, such as lighting and telecom needs, seamlessly and collaborate to solve larger-scale problems together. Integrating public feedback systems can further improve city services and sustainability.

Are we too attached to attachment styles?

Attachment theory was developed to help understand the impact of caregiver relationships on children. Recently, the theory has been applied to adults, categorizing them into different attachment styles. Is it accurate? This podcasts takes a closer...

There are 5 key reasons why people carry out hoaxes

While it's hard to pinpoint just one motive for trickery, many cases indicate that hoaxers are seeking attention. Other reasons include making a profit, or simply that fooling others is fun.

Defiance is choosing to act in line with your values under pressure

Compliance often arises from insinuation anxiety and social pressure, making defiance critical in protecting personal integrity and, in turn, strengthening institutions. Practicing defiance may be achieved through the Defiance Compass framework and can lead to a more values-driven society.

Supporters say term limits prevent entrenched power

Advocates argue that term limits stop politicians from becoming career insiders, make government more accountable, and ensure fresh ideas circulate. They believe regular turnover keeps officials closer to the public and less beholden to special interests.

Dolphins have doulas too?

For the first time in over a decade, a dolphin gave birth at Brookfield Zoo, and she didn’t do it alone. Right beside her was another dolphin, acting as a doula. Why do dolphins support each other this way? The answer reveals something incredible about how animals care for one another.

'My model for business is The Beatles: They were four guys that kept each others' negative tendencies in check; they balanced each other. And the total was greater than the sum of the parts.'

-Apple co-founder Steve Jobs (1955-2011)

How the checking account has evolved into a platform of features rather than a product

The accounts act as an anchor for customer relationships that banks need to retain said customers. As fintech companies unbundle the checking account without technically being chartered banks, traditional banks face pressure to innovate the checking account experience.

At its root, cringe comedy is about empathy

Cringe comedy has never been more popular, even if it's too uncomfortable for some people to bear. Sören Krach, a professor of psychiatry at Germany’s Lübeck University who coauthored a paper on cringe comedy, notes that, although it may seem cruel, at the core of watching cringe comedy is empathy.

SpongeBob exemplifies Aristotle's philosophy for living well because he understands that happiness doesn't come from external factors like money, recognition, or power.

Explore an interactive map built from more than 100,000 survey responses on where people find joy in their lives

This site reaches millions of visitors who are tired of AI chatbots and seeking human connection. Pretend to be an AI chatbot and ask questions, provide answers, and draw for people in real time.

Up to a million Girl Scouts sell about 200 million cookie boxes every spring, generating $800 million, largely because refusing a child is frowned upon

Telehealth demand for GLP-1s for weight loss is booming as consumers seek easier access.

Crows are believed to have intelligence on par with a seven-year-old child and demonstrate complex behaviors, from problem-solving with tools to recognizing human faces.

How Amazon operates a 'flywheel' business model, a self-reinforcing cycle that drives continuous growth

20,000 letters to the advice columnist 'Dear Abby' provide insight into prevailing sex, religion, and LGBTQ fears, anxieties, and concerns from the 1950s onward.

Existentialist writer Jean-Paul Sartre coined the famous phrase 'Hell is—other people' in his play 'No Exit'

Researchers believe the brain consolidates memories, processes emotions, and plans for the future during dream states

A Yale student wrote a profound essay about the consulting industry's influence on elite college students that was published in a book of her writing after she died in a post-graduation car accident.

An initial public offering or 'IPO' is the process of a private company becoming public by putting shares of the company on the stock market for purchase.

Fear or disgust related to clusters of holes and cracks, called trypophobia, may stem from evolutionary processes to help us avoid pathogens.

Children are now three times more likely to say they want to be a YouTuber when they grow up than an astronaut, with some even attending 'YouTube camps' that teach kids how to create content for the platform.

The first steps to rebuilding your credit score include getting to know exactly what's on your credit report and figuring out how far you are from the '700 club,' or 'good score' range.

Gerrymandering works through two techniques: cracking opposing voters across districts to dilute their power, and packing them into a few to waste their votes in lopsided majorities.

After her fellow cult members tried to kill her with an LSD-infused hamburger, one member of the Manson Family, the murderous cult led by Charles Manson, decided to testify against the group's leader.

While the sun's gravity keeps the planets in orbit, their gravity also pulls on the sun, causing it and everything else in the solar system to orbit around a mutual balance point called the barycenter—the true center of the solar system.

Cultural norms about how to handle the bodies of loved ones in communities in West Africa have hampered Ebola responses.

Memecoins are a type of cryptocurrency—a form of digital currency with a wide variety of uses—created around popular 'memes,' or viral internet jokes.

Fish populations in the Great Barrier Reef have increased after installing waterproof speakers on the ocean floor that played recordings of sounds from healthy coral reefs.

Jimmy Carter signed a 1978 bill that legalized home brewing, a move credited with kick-starting the craft beer industry.

A small portion of The Winstons' 'Amen, Brother,' an obscure '60s gospel record, is the basis for thousands of hip-hop tracks, making it one of the most sampled records ever that's informally known as 'the Amen break.'

Graffiti dates back to at least ancient Pompeii, where citizens scrawled messages to one another on public walls

As of 2025, the most cited papers in science include a review of graphene, methods to improve image recognition, streamlining electron density calculations, and optimizing protein studies.