Women Who Meet With Their Friends Twice A Week Are Healthier According To Studies

Jun 13, 2019 by apost team

Many of us tend to put off quality time with friends due to a heavy workload or family commitments. As we get older, we often end up only seeing our friends on “big occasions” such as birthdays, baby showers and weddings.

It often seems like putting off quality friend time allows you to get more done. You may think that knocking off more tasks from your to-do list will make you a healthier more successful person.

However, research shows that this isn’t necessarily the case.

This study shows that skipping out on quality time with your friends could actually be detrimental to your overall health. The research found this phenomenon to be especially true for women. It showed that closeness and quality time with our friends actually helps us to live a healthier life. We have healthier emotions, handle stress better and actually even heal faster.

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The studies found that women tend to respond differently to their friend groups and those bonds than men do. Women tend to lean more on their female friends during stressful situations, generating positive hormones like oxytocin. If we reach out to our friends during stressful situations or major life events, we are better equipped to manage all that this hectic life throws our way.

On the other side of the coin, women feel validated and appreciative when their own friends come to them during stressful situations. Many women tend to be natural helpers and appreciate that closeness that comes from bonding with a friend during major life situations or even under the pressure of daily stress. It's a win-win situation.

This makes absolute sense when you think about even the most trivial stressful situations. While it is never a positive thing to go around venting all the time, how good does it feel to vent about a small situation that is irking you and have one of your girlfriends understand and support you?

Scientists also found that people who have recently gone through a very stressful situation such as the loss of a spouse or a parent deal with their grief in a more calm and effective manner when they reach out to friends. This is much healthier than simply closing yourself off and attempting to deal with the situation all by yourself.

Reaching out to friends on a daily basis, even if it is just by text message, can help you feel connected and give you a sense of belonging in the world. Additionally, friends have a positive effect on your health. Close relationships with friends help us to have a fuller life. This translates to living a longer life because of the positivity that is gained from female friendships. Friends can literally add a number of happy, healthy years onto your life.

It’s definitely tempting to put quality time with friends on the back burner to tick some things off our list. However, the next time that you want to skip a ladies night or pass on seeing a movie with a great friend, remember that those relationships are much more important than making sure your living room floor is absolutely spotless. Tasks will always be circular. There will always be more to come. But great friendships are built over the years and are truly precious. Even eating together helps improve our social lives, connection with our community, and levels of happiness, as one study has found. 

How does this make you feel about treasuring your friends and making a commitment to seeing them on a more regular basis? Pass this along to all your friends you appreciate!