The Health Benefits of Friendship

If you want to do something that’s good for you and also very enjoyable too, consider planning a good gab session with a group of your closest friends. You may reap some unexpected health benefits, including a longer life span, reduced stress, and better coping skills to deal with anything that life throws your way.

Let Your Natural Instincts Kick In

While the stereotype has long existed that when women come together, they like to gossip about their lives, families and careers, it has only recently come to light that such female bonding isn’t just a form of empty socializing. We now know that it physically offers a way to relieve some of the negative effects of stress.

A study recently conducted by the University of California discovered that women are actually predisposed to bond with friends. Some researchers believe this practice can be traced back to prehistoric times, when the men were out hunting and gathering while the women stayed in their caves to care for their children and formed an informal support network. And regardless of how the practice began, scientists say that it sets into motion a chain of events that offer important coping mechanisms for females to deal with some of life’s biggest stressors.

Here’s how it works: When a women faces a stressful situation, her body releases a hormone called oxytoxin, which promotes her natural instinct to take care of her family and also to problem-solve with her friends. Furthermore, it seems that the more a woman connects with other females, the more hormones she has to combat the stress and relieve some of the associated negative effects.

Bonding Comes in All Shapes and Sizes

But while women in past generations may have more opportunities to socialize with their peers, modern women grapple with more demands on their time. This can often make it difficult today to achieve quality female bonding time. As a result, if you find yourself having trouble making time for your friends, you may need to get creative to find ways to stay connected to your support network and take advantage of the benefits that nature intended.

Here are some easy, but effective, ways to fit some female bonding into your lifestyle and effectively manage your stress level at the same time.

Plan a Get-Away. You may be too busy for weekly catch-ups with your friends, but stay connected by getting together for an overnight gab session a few times a year, without your spouse and kids.

Commit to a Weekly Phone Date. If you can spare an hour a week for a regular phone call with a close friend who lives out of state, you will be able to keep each other filled in on what’s new in your lives, and offer each other some valuable insight.

Join a Book Club. You can keep your mind sharp and meet new friends at the same time by participating in a monthly book club. This is a great way to stay up on the latest releases and meet others with similar taste in literature. In the process, you can find yourself having a great time.

Socialize with Other Moms. If you are constantly chauffeuring your children from activity to activity with little time left over for yourself and your interests, you may be missing an opportunity that exists to socialize with the other parents. Next time you are waiting at your child’s sporting event, strike up a conversation with another mother, and you may feel more energized.

Take a Break. If you are too busy at work these days to be able to chat with your favorite co-workers, make it a point to set aside a quick afternoon break on a regular basis. Even a five minute catch-up at the vending machine or the bathroom can give you more energy for the work that lies ahead.

Chat Online. Let modern technology be your friend. Social networking sites like Facebook make it easier than ever to connect with acquaintances and share milestones, frustrations, and photos of your family. Better yet, you can log on anytime—day or night.

Friendship is a Gift

Whether you have just one close confidante or a whole group of friends, when you make the effort to stay in close touch, you will find yourself the recipient of a host of physical, psychological, and emotional gifts.