By now, especially if you’ve been vaccinated, you’ve likely broken out of your pandemic restrictions and embraced a return to gatherings with family and good friends. Over the years agebuzz has promoted the importance and value of friendships for your health and well-being. It’s likely, however, that the pandemic has made you rethink or re-evaluate some of your long-standing friendships. In fact, evolutionary psychologist Robin Dunbar, author of the new book Friends: Understanding the Power of Our Most Important Relationship, says there’s always a lot of “churning” when it comes to friends throughout your life. Given our newly informed sense of time and the time it takes to form a good friendship (Dunbar estimates it requires 200 hours of investment of time before a stranger becomes a good friend), it makes sense that your post-pandemic life may include more time spent with “the shoulders-to-cry-on” friends at the expense of “your weekend barbecue” friends. To find out more about keeping and sustaining friendships while limiting your acquaintances, pull out your contacts list and click here. 

But don’t jettison those important friendships, especially if you’re an older woman. Because new research just published in The Journal of Women and Aging suggests that older women who have a circle of good friends are likely to have less stress in their lives. Researchers at the University of Illinois found that across the life span, and continuing into older age, women who befriend female peers have reduced levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Given that we know stress can cause harmful effects in older women, the value of good friendships becomes all the more clear. As one of the lead researchers made clear, “Familiar partners and friendship buffer stress, and that’s preserved with age.” Find out more about this study by clicking here.

Speaking of older female friends, a recent article in The Guardian reminds us all about the classic television show, The Golden Girls, whose 180 episodes are now streaming on Hulu and Disney +. It was (and remains) a wonderful example of both the triumphs and challenges of female friendships later in life (with a hefty dose of humor). And for some additional humorous storytelling about aging and female friendships, you may want to pick up the new book by writer Helen Ellis entitled Bring Your Baggage and Don’t Pack Light. With significant advance praise, this new book, with funny essays on topics including female friendships, aging parents, cosmetic procedures, and managing menopause, is definitely the book to suggest for your next book group selection.