Shelley E. Taylor and colleagues from The University of California, Los Angeles find that a “tend-and-befriend” pattern, focusing on caring for offspring and seeking contact and support from other women as a stress response, keeps women calmer. Researchers suspect this response may be linked to the hormone oxytocin, which is released during stress and has been shown to make humans calmer, less afraid and more social. The team also suggsts that “tend and befriend” helps to explain why women are less vulnerable to drug and alcohol abuse and stress-related disorders such as hypertension than men.
SOURCE/REFERENCE: reported by Intelihealth 5/22/00
