There’s been lots of recent press about the health benefits of strong social networks:

A new study showed that a strong sense of community is very beneficial to pregnant women.

“Communalism is associated with better health, especially for women of colour and women who have experienced socio-economic disadvantage at some point in the lifespan,” Abdou said.

“Nevertheless, we see very clear evidence that higher socio-economic status is associated with higher communalism, regardless of your ethnic background,” Abdou added.

via Pregnant women benefit from close-knit community: Study.