Tag Archives: tend and befriend
Friendships Decrease Inevitable Stress
On the way to Machu Picchu, outside of the marketplace, I talked with this engaging group. Women gathering with children and connecting is a given when traveling in other countries. And here at home, friendships become even more critical at times of family transition – when children grow up, leave for college, then often boomerang back. Findings from a MacArthur Foundation survey show that the emotional security and social support these relationships provide have been a survival strategy in adversity. And a landmark UCLA study, developed by Drs. Shelley Taylor and … Continue reading
Posted in stress, well-being, your self
Tagged decrease stress, Dr. Shelley Taylor, Harvard Nurses’ Health Study, lower expectations, MacArthur Foundation survey, Machu Picchu, nurture friendships, release of oxytocin, tend and befriend, UCLA study, value friendship
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Women and Friendship: Emotional Support
You probably don’t need proof that the emotional support you get from friends is vital, but here it is. Ten years ago a UCLA study proposed that a cascade of brain chemicals released when we’re stressed causes us to seek out other women. This ‘tend and befriend’ notion, developed by psychologists Drs. Shelley Taylor, Laura Klein and their associates, may explain why social ties reduce our risk of disease and help us live longer. Friends also help us live better. Research about coping after the loss of a partner indicates … Continue reading
Over the next couple of days we’ll be giving some tips for you Sandwiched Boomers, as you look at your friendships and begin to build on them. Appreciate your friends and give these relationships the time and attention they need in order to blossom. Turning to other women for support can provide strength to help you cope as you face challenges with your family in flux. Women’s friendships can be complicated. What you need from each other, and the intensity and frequency of these needs, can lead to some misunderstandings. … Continue reading
“Community” has always been a concept that women embrace for caregiving, as Shelley Taylor discusses in her book, “The Tending Instinct.” Through the ages, from prehistoric times until now, communities in which women “tend and befriend” each other have allowed them to survive and even thrive. Now the presence of community is contributing to the new movement of “aging in place,” seniors remaining in their own homes rather than moving elsewhere. Studies indicate that over 90% of the elderly prefer this option and that it provides a better quality of … Continue reading
