08/03/2025
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Don't bottle it up—talk it out. Your body will thank you.
New research shows that talking to a trusted friend doesn’t just feel good—it has a measurable biological effect on stress.
A study led by Michelle Rodrigues and Si On Yoon, published in the Journal of Women & Aging, found that women who engaged in conversations with close friends during stressful tasks had significantly lower levels of cortisol, the body’s main stress hormone. This supports the “tend-and-befriend” theory, which suggests that women are biologically wired to seek social support as a primary response to stress—an evolutionary alternative to the traditional “fight-or-flight” model.
Researchers tested both younger and older women in collaborative tasks, pairing them with friends, acquaintances, or strangers. Women paired with friends not only communicated more effectively but also showed a stronger stress-buffering effect, regardless of age.
Interestingly, the study also challenged the socio-emotional selectivity theory, which assumes that older adults prefer emotionally meaningful relationships over casual ones. Older women were just as communicatively efficient with strangers as with friends, while younger women struggled more with unfamiliar partners.
Bottom line? Strong social bonds—especially female friendships—can have a powerful, biological impact on how we manage stress. So the next time you're feeling overwhelmed, reach out to a friend. Your hormones may thank you.
🧠 Source:
Rodrigues, M. A., Yoon, S. O., Clancy, K. B. H., & Stine-Morrow, E. A. L. (2021). What are friends for? The impact of friendship on communicative efficiency and cortisol response during collaborative problem solving among younger and older women. Journal of Women & Aging, 33(4), 411–427.
