Women Need To Go Out With Friends Twice A Week To Stay Healthy

One of the most important and yet least understood areas of psychology concerns is the role of friends in our lives. Though it might sound cliché, friends really do become closer than family at times.

In fact, this bond is so essential in women’s health that a study done by researchers from the University of Oxford. They revealed that women should go out with their girlfriends more often. The investigation pointed out that women seeing their friends twice a week is the key to achieve overall happiness.

Robin Dunbar, the researcher behind the study, noted in an interview that women’s overall health and wellbeing is improved when they get together with four closest companions two times a week in gatherings where they “do things.”

The list of “things” include drinking, gossiping, and the much-preferred topic – talking about rivals. The study has also linked quality girl time with multiple health benefits, like a stronger immune system, fewer anxiety levels, and increased in generosity.

But as we all know, not every friendship is the same. Not every woman needs a “squad,” and that’s completely fine. The research suggests that having four friends in the get-together is the maximum number to achieve physical and mental health benefits.

The study discovered that interact best when they talk about something that makes them laugh. Laughter is after all the best medicine. However, when the group is bigger than five people, funny circumstances that produce the necessary endorphins for happiness are not that credible anymore.

Alisa Ruby Bash, PsyD, LMFT. Studies at Stanford said:

“Research shows that women, [possibly] more than men, need to maintain those connections. It increases serotonin and oxytocin, the bonding hormone … We get busier, with more responsibilities. It makes us feel nurtured and validated to hang out with friends we can be totally ourselves [with], minus the outside pressures.”