With February 14th just around the corner, let me be the first to wish you all a happy Galentine’s Day! No, that’s not a typo; rather, it’s a recognition of the power of female friendships and the important role that our female friends have in our lives.
From the time we’re little girls, our female friends become central to our everyday lives. We played with them at recess; we celebrated our birthdays with them; we invited them to sleepovers. As we grew older, we shared our secrets with them, we witnessed each other’s weddings, we cooed over each other’s babies. Our friends were there to share the heartaches, the joys, the failures, and the accomplishments. They offered emotional support, helping us get through difficult times.
The importance of women’s friendships has long been corroborated by scientific studies:
- The Harvard Nurses’ Health Study (Kawachi et al., 1999) found that women with strong social networks had lower blood pressure, reduced risk of heart disease, and a 60% lower chance of premature death compared to those who were socially isolated.
- UCLA research (Taylor et al., 2000) indicates that women who regularly engage with close friends have lower cortisol levels, reducing the harmful effects of chronic stress.
- A longitudinal study published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health (Holt-Lunstad et al., 2010) found that social isolation increases mortality risk as much as smoking or obesity, reinforcing the importance of maintaining strong friendships. (See The Healing Power of Female Friendships and UCLA Study on Friendship Among Women).
As we enter our senior years, the women in our lives become especially important. It’s a harsh reality of life that children grow up and husbands die. In many cases, it’s our female friends we turn to for social connectedness and support. In some cases, we might even look to them as potential housemates. At this month’s meeting, we’ll be hearing from Pat Dunn, the Founder and Executive Director of Senior Women Living Together, who’ll speak to us about how senior women can combat both unaffordable housing and isolation by sharing a home.
I’m sure we all have anecdotal evidence of the positive impact our friends have had on our lives. Nothing made this clearer to me than the support I received from my friends, many from CFUW St. Catharines, who regularly visited, phoned, emailed, and texted me while I was in the hospital. I’m positive that their support helped me to keep my spirits up, which in turn helped my recovery.
How fortunate we are, that at an age where it often becomes more difficult to make new friends, we belong to a club that offers so many opportunities to find meaningful friendships. Our interest groups are places where shared interests can blossom into strong friendships. Similarly, volunteering side by side with someone at one of our events can foster the bonds of friendship. Want an antidote to loneliness, and to physical and cognitive decline? You’ll find it in CFUW St. Catharines.
So, when February 14th rolls around, don’t forget to reach out to the women who are nearest and dearest to you. Tell them how much they mean to you. Wish them, as I wish all the wonderful women of CFUW St. Catharines, a very happy Galentine’s Day.