👥Social Environment
Alongside and interwoven with physical environments, social environments – or how people treat and connect with one another – are a determinant of physical and mental community wellbeing. The social environment shapes behaviors and norms, enables protective social networks, and creates opportunities for meaningful community engagement. i,ii
At an interpersonal level, social networks can provide support, leading to improved mental health, reduced stress, and improved health outcomes related to better immune system functioning. People within a rich social environment have access to a greater network of resources and feel more connected with their community, which in turn helps them stay healthier. iii
At a community-level, the social environment encompasses the outcomes of social networks, including social capital and social cohesion. Social cohesion is both the strength of relationships and the sense of solidarity that individuals have toward their community. Higher levels of social cohesion are associated with better health outcomes. ii Researchers note that social cohesion is a critical protective resource during adversity and higher levels of social support during and in the aftermath of a disaster are associated with lower rates of psychological distress. iv
Social capital refers to the opportunities passed along connections within a larger network. ii Networks with high social capital can help to maintain healthy social norms among groups. Generally, higher levels of capital are associated with better mental and physical health. iii
One framework for social capital includes three types: bonding, bridging, and linking social capital.
Bonding social capital refers to the resources produced through ties within a closed network and is often associated with small networks of equals.
Bridging social capital extends the network beyond its traditional boundaries, tying individuals in one social group to individuals in another. The inter-network trust in bridging social capital is not as strong as the intra-network trust in bonding social capital and involves relationships of reciprocity.
Linking capital is bridging capital that takes place in an institutional setting and takes place between people across power structures in society.
The social environment is a product of choices of a society and is expressed through physical settings in addition to social processes. Through collective decisions, we have designed spaces – buildings, parks, streets – and civic engagement – participation in committees and boards, elected positions, attending community meetings – that make some people feel more welcome and invite them into civic processes, which in turn can offer more opportunities for building networks of trust with neighbors and institutions.
The Groundwater Approach: Leading with Race and Racism. The following metaphor originates from The Groundwater Approach: building a practical understanding of structural racism, developed by the Racial Equity Institute:
One day, you find two lakes, one where one fish is dead, the other where half the fish are floating belly-up. In the first case, you might wonder what was wrong with the fish, in the second you need to start analyzing the lake.
Intrigued, you look around at neighboring waterbodies and realize, in all the lakes in your area, half the fish have died. Now it's time to analyze the groundwater, the 95% of water that is below the surface where we cannot see it.
This metaphor is designed to help people internalize we live in a racially structured society, and that that is what causes racial inequity. The metaphor is based on three observations:
Racial inequity looks the same across systems,
Socioeconomic difference does not explain the racial inequity, and
Inequities are caused by systems, regardless of people’s culture or behavior.
All our systems, institutions, and outcomes emanate from the racial hierarchy on which the United States was built. In the words of The Racial Equity Institute “we have a “groundwater” problem, and we need “groundwater” solutions.”
In Mass in Motion, we often talk about leading with race and racism. We lead explicitly with race because racial inequalities in healthy eating and active living are a groundwater problem. Acknowledging this makes coordinators better equipped to look for groundwater solutions – transformations to policies, systems, and environments perpetuating racial health inequities.
In the following sections we offer some principles and tools to help you create processes that lead to groundwater solutions.
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