Girl Talk is a De-Stresser

Girl talk is good for a woman's health according to a new study by researchers at the University of Michigan who examined progresterone levels in the saliva of 160 female college students.

When a woman feels emotionally close to a girlfriend, levels of the hormone progesterone increase, helping to boost mood and alleviate stress.

The progesterone levels in the women who participated in emotionally close tasks remained the same or increased, while those in the emotionally neutral task group tended to decline.  In the study, progesterone was used as a marker for oxytocin, a hormone linked to relationship trust and bonding.  Oxytocin itself can be measured only through spinal fluid or brain scans.

The study supports a concept in evolution that is gaining momentum--that the hormonal basis of social bonds enables people to suppress self-interest when necessary to promote the well-being of another person.  The research also helps explain why social contact appears to lead to improved health.

The study is published in the June 2009 issue of the journal "Hormones and Behavior."

Source: Los Angeles Times and Ann Arbor News, June 5, 2009