Understanding Female Friendships

Studies show that friendships between women are important for our physiological and phsychological health.  According to an article from 2008 in Women's Health:

"In life, it's important for women to have close friendships with other women. Physiologically, females have a greater need to emotionally bond with others. Whereas many men get by with loose, casual relationships with other men, women tend to look for nurturing, emotionally-fulfilling bonds with other women.

Women gain self-esteem, validation, and happiness from such exchanges. Female friends can boost each other's self-worth through compliments, honest opinions, and suggestions. In times of trouble, females seek one another out to know that their feelings or experiences are normal and healthy. From these interactions, female friends bring away an increased sense of happiness and fulfillment."

Source: 

Gerics, Jennifer. "Women and Friendship: Female Bonds Have Both Psychological and Physical Health." Women's Health. Suite101.com. Online article (Aug 2008).

Reading:

 Benefits http://womenshealth.suite101.com/article.cfm/women_and_friendship#ixzz0rjvAJmAx

Tie-Die in the Sky?

What I wouldn't pay or do to see this amazing sight!! Thanks to National Geographic photographers for capturing the rare northern lights seen all the way down in Georgia this week.

Photo taken by: Shawn Malone

Aurora Pictures: Rare Northern Lights Seen in U.S. South

According to National Geographic:
"Auroras are created when charged solar particles collide with molecules in Earth's atmosphere, infusing the molecules with extra energy that then gets emitted as light.
Familiar green auroras appear lower in the atmosphere, around 60 miles (100 kilometers) above the surface. The light is actually a mix of colors, but the human eye is most attuned to the green part of the spectrum, according to the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Sometimes, however, an influx of slower moving, less energetic particles can make auroras appear higher in the atmosphere, around 185 to 310 miles (300 to 500 kilometers). At these altitudes, the light displays are pure red."