Social Cognition and Health

Abstract

Abstract The social cognition approach has undoubtedly shaped how researchers understand the role of the social world in physical health. In the first edition of this handbook, Shelley Taylor contributed an overview of social cognition and health that centered on cognitive processes and neural and physiological mechanisms underlying health and well-being. The current chapter builds on this foundational work by highlighting three prominent areas of research where a social cognitive lens on health has flourished: the role of automaticity and automatic processes, interpersonal processes (e.g. social support, ostracism), and intergroup processes (e.g. stigma, discrimination). Both the interpersonal and the intergroup domains have proven particularly important for health, and both have addressed similar social cognitive processes, which highlights the need for future research that more comprehensively bridges these two literatures. Understanding the social cognitive factors that contribute to health is a critical step in developing effective interventions to promote it.