Good friends may be hard to find, but when you connect with someone special, they’re worth hanging onto and great for your wellbeing,
Ever grabbed a glass of wine with your best friend when you’ve had a shocking day in the office or a shouting match with your stroppy teenager? That’s known as the “tend and befriend” response to stress which, unlike the male “fight or flight” response, is due to the hormone oxytocin being released.
UCLA’s Behavioural Responses in Females study found that women’s hormonal response to stress differed from men. In women, the release of oxytocin encourages them to tend to children and gather with other women for support and protection. As a result of this nurturing/cocooning response, more oxytocin is released, which further counters the effects of stress. The evidence seems to point to the fact that strong friendships – particularly with other women – not only make us happier, they make us healthier too. The less stress, the less likelihood there is of complications from raised blood pressure, high cholesterol and increased heart rate. More broadly, the landmark Nurses’ Health Study from Harvard Medical School found the more friends women have, the less likely they are to develop physical impairments while ageing and are more likely to lead a “joyful” life.
This story is from the December 2017 edition of The Australian Women's Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the December 2017 edition of The Australian Women's Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Hitting a nerve
Regulating the vagus nerve with its links to depression, anxiety, arthritis and diabetes - could aid physical and mental wellbeing.
Take me to the river
With a slew of new schedules and excursions to explore, the latest river cruises promise to give you experiences and sights you won’t see on the ocean.
The last act
When family patriarch Tom Edwards passes away, his children must come together to build his coffin in four days, otherwise they will lose their inheritance. Can they put their sibling rivalry aside?
MEET RUSSIA'S BRAVEST WOMEN
When Alexei Navalny died in a brutal Arctic prison, Vladimir Putin thought he had triumphed over his most formidable opponent. Until three courageous women - Alexei's mother, wife and daughter - took up his fight for freedom.
The wines and lines mums
Once only associated with glamorous A-listers, cocaine is now prevalent with the soccer-mum set - as likely to be imbibed at a school fundraiser as a nightclub. The Weekly looks inside this illegal, addictive, rising trend.
Jenny Liddle-Bob.Lucy McDonald.Sasha Green - Why don't you know their names?
Indigenous women are being murdered at frightening rates, their deaths often left uninvestigated and widely unreported. Here The Weekly meets families who are battling grief and desperate for solutions.
Growing happiness
Through drought flood and heartbreak, Jenny Jennr's sunflowers bloom with hope, sunshine and joy
"Thank God we make each other laugh"
A shared sense of humour has seen Aussie comedy couple Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammall conquer the world. But what does life look like when the cameras go down:
Winter baking with apples and pears
Celebrate the season of Australian apples and pears with these sweet bakes that will keep the midwinter blues away.
Budget dinner winners
Looking for some thrifty inspiration for weeknight dinners? Try our tasty line-up of low-cost recipes that are bound to please everyone at the table.
