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This wholesome thread of women sharing wisdom is evidence that we need strong female relationships. In some cases, female friendships can even help women survive longer. Studies have shown that psychological support increases the survival rate of breast cancer patients.
That's exceedingly true for those women who get their diagnosis early. A 2011 study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology found that women were 4 times more likely to die if they didn't have many friends.
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Licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Christina Watlington lists some benefits of sisterhood. First, it can have a calming effect. Reaching out to girlfriends when we're feeling stressed can help us unwind.
"In doing so, our brains actually release a feel-good chemical, oxytocin. This chemical instantly reduces anxiety, improves focus and concentration and encourages us to bond," Dr. Watlington writes.
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Laura Cousin Klein, Ph.D., has found that women respond differently to stress than men. When stress gets a hold of men, it triggers a fight-or-flight response. Based on recent studies, researchers now believe that women have a wider variety of responses. Klein says that in women, oxytocin buffers the fight-or-flight response. They then start taking care of children and gather with other women instead.
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"When [a woman] actually engages in this tending or befriending, studies suggest that more oxytocin is released, which further counters stress and produces a calming effect," Klein claims.
Why doesn't this happen to men? The doctor believes testosterone reduces the effects of oxytocin. Estrogen, in turn, enhances them. Female friendships therefore act as a chemical antidote to stress.
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Not everyone means well
Don’t settle, what another won’t do, somebody will.
Trust your gut.
You don’t have to conform to societies standards of a woman. You don’t have to shave. You don’t have to dress feminine. You don’t have to cater to men.
Once an abuser, always an abuser, red flags are there for a reason and should not be used as a “well maybe that was just how they are” argument. If you see it, it’s not going to change.
It’s not nagging if you have to repeat yourself because they won’t fix it the first time.
You don’t have to rush to have kids. That is not your only purpose. You are not on a timeline that needs to be pushed.
Being a woman doesn’t mean you owe people a conversation just because they are interested in you.
Don’t trust men/boys with nude photos.
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Dr. Watlington lists another benefit of female friendships – its power to stave off loneliness. "When we feel connected to other people, we are buffering ourselves against the detrimental effects of loneliness," the clinical psychologist writes.
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This is especially important for older women. Marriage and family therapist Andrea Brandt, Ph.D, writes about this for Psychology Today. According to her, female friendships are often the key to happiness for older women. The downside is that we often refuse to see it as important.
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