Women’s Friendships Are the Key to Longevity and Happiness 

It’s no secret that women are better at having and maintaining friendships – the male loneliness crisis is well documented and one of the main reasons why men suffer from stroke, heart attacks and an increased risk of suicide. However, more and more women are reporting feeling lonely too, as our society becomes more isolated and disconnected. Currently, 1 in 3 Americans report feeling lonely every week and loneliness is now considered a major public health concern. A deep dive into how women maintain and create friendships could be the key to rekindling the BFF and solving the loneliness crisis. 

Female friendships need to be fostered 

The truth is, it’s not easy to maintain and nurture adult friendships. Keeping them up can feel like a part time or even full time job and when you already have a full time job and a family and house to upkeep, it can feel easier to let your friendships slide. However, friendships can offer a much needed oasis of comfort, companionship, and company that’s different from a romantic partner or a workplace buddy. The key to creating these relationships is approaching them with intention. It requires you to be intentional with your planning.

As Jane Fonda points out in this Self article on the subject, you need to be willing to get vulnerable with each other quickly and be open with putting yourself out there. When it comes to friendship, sometimes saying, “hey, I think you’re cool and I want to be your friend,” is the ticket. If it worked in kindergarten, why wouldn’t it work now?

Friends add value to your life

Women’s friendships have been shown to add literal years to your life as friendships have been shown to reduce depression, anxiety, and increase healthy behavior. Friendships provide a sense of community as suddenly you have support for you during your hardest moments. 

While childhood besties can be irreplaceable, friendships can be formed at any point especially over the changing course of your lives. Moments of abrupt change, like starting in a new career or having a baby, can thrust your life in a new direction and introduce you to new friendships to form along the way. Having friends who are going through similar life struggles as you can be the key to success. 

Friendships deserve break ups too

Not all friendships are meant to last forever. Sometimes, just like a summer fling, you might get a temporary bestie. It’s OK to enjoy, love and laugh strongly, brightly and then part ways. But unlike a romantic relationship, we don’t really have guidelines on how to break up with a friend. So sometimes we either slow play them out of our lives or have a mega blow out after a drunken evening where the tensions were high. 

The truth is we need better ways to end and mourn friendships. Relationships get books, movies, ice cream cartons dedicated to their demise and friendships don’t really get acknowledged. It’s best friends forever not just for a short while. But knowing how to end a friendship is key to opening yourself up to other friendships that might better fulfill you. And just like in a romantic relationship, if you find yourself in friendship after friendship that just isn’t working, the problem might be you. And then, it’s time to go to therapy. To work on yourself, not to befriend your therapist. We don’t recommend that.

So whether you are on the hunt for a new best friend or bemoaning the loss of a long standing friendship that was no longer working, we encourage you to keep trying, putting yourself out there, and making new friends. It’s well worth the time and effort. And for a fun way to keep up your friendships, check out our girlfriend getaways for deals specifically for you and your pals!