Happy women have a secret weapon against the blues, and it's called "sisterhood." When they're feeling down or blue, they prescribe themselves not a spa day or a shopping spree, but a dose of girlfriends. According to very serious studies, getting together with friends is excellent therapy. A prescription for good company to be renewed every 22 days.
Girls' nights out: a wellness ritual recognized by science
What if your best antidepressant had the name of a WhatsApp group and the shape of a Gossip Girl reunion scene? What if the answer to your everyday woes lay in a sleepover filled with gossip, hair rollers, and chocolate treats? Your emergency number when everything falls apart or when life gets too serious is undeniably your girlfriends' cell phone number. However, voice messages that sound like podcasts and sentimental written brainstorming sessions are no substitute for a girls' night in. You know, the kind that men consider cheesy and uninteresting, but that have the effect of a powerful tranquilizer.
Whether it's a cozy tea time, a lively karaoke session , a casual dinner party at home, or a skincare get-together, girls' nights in feel almost vital when you're feeling down. You need your dose of sisterhood, to reconnect like the Upper East Side elite in Blair Waldorf's living room. And according to studies on the subject, girls' nights in alone can replenish your dopamine levels. More than gossipy interviews or home sales pitches, they're as restorative as gong baths and meditation sessions.
According to a 2011 survey by Talker Research , 78% of women surveyed said they need a girls' night in every 22 days to recharge. And from experience, you know you'll leave this "girl power" themed gathering feeling lighthearted, self-confidence boosted, and mood lifted. Know that this isn't just a pleasant "feeling." Girls' nights out, often accused of being superficial and meaningless, are actually antidotes to the blues.
Moments of sisterhood as beneficial as a therapy session
Given the choice, women would rather get together with their girlfriends and take turns confiding in each other while listening to "Who Run the World" than attend a candlelit dinner, even one reminiscent of the one in La La Land. The numbers speak for themselves: 62% of those surveyed said they would choose a girls' night out over a romantic dinner with their partner.
Moreover, girls completely let go when they're with their closest friends. In fact, 83% of women prefer unstructured conversations to planned activities. Girls' nights out, unpredictable and punctuated by anecdotes that innocent ears wouldn't hear, are enriching, cathartic, exhilarating, and fulfilling. In short, there aren't enough adjectives to list the immensity of their benefits. It's an all-in-one treatment.
A 2022 study , conducted by two researchers from the University of Santa Barbara in the United States, presents these evenings as a decompression chamber, a refuge from chaos, a way to let off steam. "Women are more likely to confide in each other, share their emotions, and lean on one another during stressful times," which leads to "significant psychological benefits," the study reveals. All this thanks to the "tend-and-befriend" strategy—in other words, nurturing and bonding. These girls' nights are as liberating as smashing things in a furry room and as soothing as hugging trees deep in the forest.
Moral of the story: calling your friends is good, but seeing them is better.
Sometimes, organizing girls' nights out is a real challenge. Between the one with pottery classes every night, the other who camps out at the gym until 10 p.m., and the queen of the gang who's always overbooked, it's hard to coordinate everyone's schedules. You practically have to plan a year in advance to find the right date, whereas during adolescence, a single code name is all it takes to gather everyone at a hangout.
Yet, what you might see as an optional evening in the age of texting and digital one-on-ones deserves to become a priority again. We're not going to turn down a good two-hour call, putting the world to rights in our pajamas. Dramatic voice messages, whispered "wait, let me tell you"s under the covers, quick debriefs between subway stops—all of that is precious. It saves days, eases anxieties , and keeps the connection alive. But let's be honest: nothing replaces real life, the 3D experience, the presence that takes up space on the couch.
Seeing your friends is a complete sensory experience. It's their expressions when they judge someone without saying a word. It's the glances that speak volumes. It's the energy that flows, the silences that aren't awkward, the bursts of laughter that are too loud and too intense. On the phone, you talk. In real life, you live together.
Calling keeps the flame alive. Seeing each other adds fuel to the fire. Both matter, but a shared laugh around a table will always beat a laughing emoji. Sometimes our friends' comfy bed is as welcoming as a therapist's couch.
