Friendship is such a precious thing to have in our lives. It doesn’t matter whether you have two friends or 20, as long as your soul nourishes from your connection with them. Do you feel that when you are with your friends, time just flies? Do you have one friend who is more like family? Our friends bring us so much joy when things get rough. A healthy social circle feels like a safe haven that lets you be you. And while all connections are important, it is the female friendships without which our lives would not be as enriched as they are today.
Our girl squads can make us laugh, support us through our tears, help us shine, and much more. Here are five reasons why female friendships are so important.
We know what the other person means
Every demographic group has different life experiences and hence, a different perspective of things. However, it is amazing to note that while women from every culture may have different experiences, there is a thread that links us all. Gender bias is such a global concept that all of us know what misogyny feels like. This is why a male friend may find you “boring” when you decide to leave the party early but a female friend will understand exactly why. Talk about bonding over shared trauma!
We uplift each other and offer solidarity
Keeping internalised misogyny aside, most women would love to uplift each other. And these are the women who make the best friends. When you’re feeling down in the dumps because a guy said he doesn’t want anything long-term with you, your girlfriends will restore your self-esteem by showing you what an amazing person you are. When you lost a promotion to the glass ceiling, they will be there to offer honest advice and anecdotes to help you sail through. Such is the beauty of female friendships!
The best thing, though, is that your girl squad can offer you the confidence and solidarity you need to step up, to take a stand, and truly glow. They say united we stand, divided we fall, and that aptly describes our strength.
Girlfriends are the best stress busters
According to a study published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine (1995), when in a stressful situation, having female support can reduce some of your stress, even for men. The researchers observed that while men tend to offer advice, women give each other validation, encouragement, and the strength to face the situation. This soothes us, allowing us to navigate through the situation and find a solution without feeling pressurised to choose what another person may have suggested.
In fact, female friendships are proven to positively impact our physical and mental health. Studies also suggest that women experience a spike in happy hormones, serotonin and oxytocin, which reduces stress, anxiety and improves heart health.
You can share and get support without feeling judged
Studies reveal that while women talk about things from a feelings perspective, men talk about events that occurred. This is why you feel much more comfortable baring your soul to your girlfriends. You know they get you, and you don’t feel judged. It’s so important for our emotional health to have an outlet.
It fosters more awareness and honest perspectives
Professor Ana M. Martínez Alemán, an academician and author of several scholarly research papers, wrote in one of her works that in female friendships “intellectual play and performance are risk-free.” She also wrote that women “reconcile the constructed barrier between autonomous and interdependent learning and engage in a dynamic articulation of thinking and knowing.”
With uplifting and empowering each other as the main goals, women tend to freely share knowledge with each other. In fact, when it comes to things like consent or intimate partner violence, it is important to have a support group that can point out when you’re being abused. Female friendships offer us the same.
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