Stanford University Says Girlfriend Time is Good For Your Health

My women friends are very important to me.  You know that if you have read my book or followed my blog.  However, I never thought of time spent with my beloved girlfriends as scientifically contributing to my good health.  Until now.

There is an article flying around the web that several of my friends have sent to me.  Here is an example:  http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=149797781715520.  I have tried to track down the original thesis of this professor without much success.  However, the subject of the Internet articles—research being done at Stanford University related to well-being and the connection between stress and disease and its particular application to women’s friendships with other women—is so compelling that I want to share the information with you even without my usual primary source citations.

It is reported that the head of psychiatry at Stanford University provided the following insight during one of his lectures on the subject of the mind-body connection,  “One of the best things that a man can do for his health is to be married to a women whereas, for a woman, one of the best things she could do for her health is to nurture her relationships with her girlfriends.”

The professor went on to explain the importance of serotonin, a neurotransmitter, that can combat depression and create general feelings of well-being.  It turns out that “girlfriend time” helps to create serotonin and that spending time with your girlfriends can be just as important to a woman’s health and well-being as physical exercise.

Imagine that!  Of course, we all knew how good girlfriend time can feel, but it is nice to know that there is a scientific reason for all of those good feelings encountered over cosmopolitans and shopping sprees with the girls or chick flick nights with no men allowed.

My new book, which will be released later this year, has complete chapters devoted to the importance of young women lawyers maintaining their friendships, especially their friendships with other women.  It is important to what I call the new balance for women lawyers.  Watch for information on the book release, and be sure to check it out.

You will no longer have to struggle with a legitimate reason to hang out with the girls or to feel guilty about time spent with girlfriends.  It is all in the name of good health—yours!