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By Rick Nauert PhD Senior News Editor Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on March 19, 2015 ~ 1 min read

A new study suggest people are turning to online social networks for support and advice prior to serious medical interventions.

Despite the popularity of social networking sites like Facebook, scientists are only beginning to learn how they affect human interaction and influence human behavior.

In the study, Dartmouth researchers examined nearly 9,000 Facebook conversations to better understand how people seek and receive support on social networking sites.

Among the many Facebook conversations that were mostly casual, we noticed more serious exchanges among people who mentioned a major medical event, such as surgery, said Dr. Denise Anthony, professor of sociology at Dartmouth.

Study findings have been published by the journal Social Science & Medicine.

Researchers examined Facebook conversations among approximately 33,000 people who gave permission to be monitored for a six-month period.

During this period, nearly4,000 people posted something about surgery. When the researchers examined the conversations where the initial posts mentioned surgery, they discovered that posts referencing a family member triggered much greater response via comments on that post.

The researchers also reported a common pattern of call-and-response in asking for and offering prayers.

In our data, many individuals talking about surgery would ask for prayers in their initial post. These posts received more responses in the form of digital prayers in reply, said Anthony.

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Social Media Provides Support for Medical Care