Both quantitative (size and diversity) and qualitative (benefits and costs) aspects of social ties are demographically patterned and socially constructed. Regarding size, women tend to have larger confidant networks than men, as do whites compared with blacks, better-educated adults compared with less-educated, and, to a lesser extent, younger adults (McPherson, Smith-Lovin, and Brashears 2006). Moreover, the diversity of social ties varies in patterned ways with, for example, better-educated adults engaged in more diverse personal networks (McPherson et al. 2006). Sociodemographic variation in quantitative aspects of social ties may partly explain parallel variation in health disparities because both size (Brummett et al. 2001) and diversity (Cohen et al. 1997) of social ties enhance health. People with a greater number of ties have a larger pool of confidants from which to connect and to receive social support and health-relevant information.
