Social capital and health: starting to make sense of the role of generalized trust and reciprocity

Abstract

Social capital is widely considered to influence health. It is usually defined as a list of components such as social networks, social participation, trust and reciprocity. It is trust and reciprocity that are the subjects of this article. The presumed relationship of each with health is rarely explained in social capital studies. Trust is usually treated simplistically, both conceptually and in relation to measurement, while reciprocity is misunderstood, under-theorized and rarely measured. Pathways from trust and reciprocity to better health may be by way of reduced stress. Clarification and valid measures are needed to progress studies of social capital and health.