Letting
down one’s guard. Chatting. Getting to know each other in comfortable ways. These
are not frivolous activities for women after all. Scientists have long known that
having close relationships – even simply social contact – leads to living
longer. Until now they did not
have proof as to why -especially for women. One clue comes from the chemical reaction to social closeness –
even with strangers.
What
happens, for example, when women who are strangers to each other are put in a
situation where they are encouraged to talk or collaborate? Their progesterone and cortisol levels
go up.
How
does this affect their behavior? In a recent study women were divided into two
groups, one with no encouragement to interact. The other group was given just 20 minutes of an activity that encouraged conversation – such as playing a cooperation-based video game. (I can't wait share this with my women's group).
Remarkably,
even in that short a time, that second group, with the elevated hormonal levels
were more likely to:
• Have
reduced chemical levels of stress and anxiety in their body.
• Say they
would risk their lives for their partners in the experiment.
Reading
this, some may be tempted to take a medical shortcut and take progesterone. But Dr. Steven Park, a professor at New York Medical College, warns, “You need it in the right
doses. And it has to be in the right balance as estrogen in the body.”
The easier path to better progesterone levels may simply be by making it a
point to connect with friends and family more often.”
