The Friendship Phenomenon

It’s still up for debate within myself if technology makes things easier or more difficult for me. I don’t like the idea of being reachable 24/7, but when I leave the house without my phone, I feel “naked” and a bit helpless. The one recent tech development that I know I have benefitted from is Facebook.

I was able to reconnect with some old friends last weekend during a trip to my hometown because of Facebook. We all agreed that it was almost as if no time had passed since the last time we saw each other in person, even though it has actually been about 25 years! By reading and commenting on posts, and browsing pictures on everyone’s Facebook feed, we are able to see what’s going on with each other whenever we want to!

Friendship is an extremely precious and valuable gift. Close friendships help us feel like we fit in somewhere, which is a basic human need. Research has repeatedly shown that women need other women in their lives in order to feel their best. Ladies that don’t have any female friends are at greater risk for depression, heart disease and obesity, just to name a few.

One reason for this is that women are much better listeners than men. When a woman has a problem, she is more likely to discuss it with her female friends than a male friend or male significant other. Men, by nature, are “fixers.” They want to find a way to make our bad feelings go away because they don’t know what to do with us when we are upset!

Take a look around at your circle of friends. Do you have at least one female friend that you can confide in? If not, I challenge you to either plant the seed for a new friendship or nurture an existing one so that you can have, and also be, a confidante. If this need is already met in your life, then congratulations! I hope you will continue to benefit from your friendships!