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Having drinks with your girlfriends on two occasions every week is good for your mental and physical health, says a new study. While the latest social experiment showed getting together with your friends to swap stories and – funnily enough – talk about your rivals was deemed great venting mechanisms, drinking was also included on the list. We repeat, a gin and tonic with good girlfriends is good for your health.
“The figure of twice a week comes from our findings that this is the amount of time that you typically spend with your closest friends/family,” Dr. Robin Dunbar, professor of evolutionary psychology at the University of Oxford, told The Huffington Post.
“For both sexes (no surprise) having a large, well-integrated social network has a significant impact on both physical and emotional health. People with larger and/or more integrated networks suffer less illness, recover quicker from surgery, are less likely to die – and even their children are less likely to die.”
UCLA researchers have backed this up and says science has proven women respond to stress better when they have good girlfriends. Oxytocin – also known as the ‘love hormone’ – is produced when we spend time with people we love. “Bonds can be formed through a range of activities from team sports to male banter—or simply having a pint with your pals on a Friday night,” says Dr. Dundar. “However, the key to maintaining strong friendships is to meet up twice a week and do stuff with the four people closest to you.”
There you have it: Scientific proof you need to organise a girl’s night. It is the weekend after all. And if you can get your lip liner as straight as perfect as Kendall Jenner on a yacht after a couple of champagnes, you’ve basically won the entire week. Cheers.
