Got Girlfriends – It does your body good!
Recently I received an e-mail from a friend. You know, one of those “read this and pass it along” e-mails. Normally, I peruse them, get a good laugh or shed a tear and then send it to the trash bin. This particular e-mail, however, was about a UCLA study that showed the health benefits of having girlfriends. The e-mail was basically an opinion based on the outcomes of the study which concluded that we, as women, are healthier because of our relationships with our girlfriends.
I have to admit that I have always thought of my girlfriend talks and “get togethers” as therapy sessions but now there is proof. I ventured out to find this study and see for myself what UCLA found. Unfortunately, I could not find the actual study that was published in the Psychological Review of the American Psychological Association but below is a link to the Science Daily which briefly outlines the findings.
In a nutshell, the article states each sex reacts to stressful situations differently. This is due to a hormone, oxytocin, which is released when the body becomes stressed. This hormone enhances women’s estrogen levels which triggers a calming response and encourages us to “tend and befriend”. Men, on the other hand, have high levels of testosterone which reduces the effects of the oxytocin that is released and they respond by standing and fighting or fleeing from the situation.
Think about it, it makes perfect sense now – right? What happens when something really horrible happens to a friend or family member? The women come together to support in a time of need. Not because we are “busy bodies” but because it’s a chemical response that causes us to nurture.
So, what does all of this mean to us in our daily lives? Well, we all know that stress causes many health issues and how we respond to stress is also a factor. The study suggests that our nurturing response to our girlfriends in a time of need and how we cope with stress on a daily basis may be the reason why we, as women, live longer and are much healthier than our male counterparts.
The way I see it, if stress shortens our life span or makes us sick, then who better to call when the kids are driving us crazy or we need to blow off steam because of a bad day at work? Yep, a girlfriend! Not because we don’t love our husband or male counterparts but we are healthier when we counter the effects of life’s stresses.
Ok, now we know it’s a proven fact that our girlfriends actually do make us healthier. Then why is it we put them on the back burner when life happens?
Perhaps we should start making more time to foster our female friends by having a “girlfriend day”? Hey, we make time for our spouses/partners with a “date night” – right?
Wow, think about it; a glass of wine is cheaper than a psychologist, couple that with your best girlfriends and I’d say it’s the perfect therapy session.
So, the next time you second guess your well deserved girl time, just remind yourself that it’s like the old milk advertisement – it does your body good!
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
University Of California Los Angeles (2000, May 22). UCLA Researchers Identify Key Biobehavioral Pattern Used By Women To Manage Stress. ScienceDaily. Retrieved July 8, 2011, from http://www.sciencedaily.com¬ /releases/2000/05/000522082151.htm