The countdown to party season is upon us – it’s time to spread your social butterfly wings with our feel-good guide to getting back in the groove.
We all feel it – the excitement at the idea of a tan (faux, of course!), sunset at 8pm instead of 5pm, and sitting outside with dinner and a glass of wine in balmy bliss. Spring is finally unfolding and a glimmer of summer is bringing our deadened party modes back to life.
But as layers of clothing reduce and the possibility of wearing bare legs for Friday night drinks starts to materialise, minor disasters float to the surface – the spiky hair, the scaly white skin, the jiggling…
Yes, the fruits from months of slack winter grooming can be enough to quash any woman’s confidence, especially at the thought of abandoning the soft cocoon of the couch and tracksuit pants. It’s time to dust off your wings and start preening your inner social butterfly.
The benefits of good company and regular social interaction outweigh any instant gratification that a bad movie and junk food can provide.
So before you even think about passing up a night out with the girls, jumpstart your summer juices and start gearing up for the beginning of the social season with our feel-good guide to the party season.
The feel-good factor
It’s time to stop being afraid of walking into a party alone. It’s the 21st century – women don’t need to be chaperoned, unless they’re under the age of 13. Get yourself feeling great before an event by taking time to pay attention to the little things: exfoliate, moisturise, bronze and buff your body to prep for socialite schmoozing. It’s amazing what a quick manicure can do for your confidence.
Spring is finally unfolding and a glimmer of summer is bringing our deadened party modes back to life.
Hallmark’s favourite feel-good cliché ‘smile and the world smiles with you’ has more bang for buck than you think. Science says that inducing your facial muscles into a smile can influence your mood by association – so not only can you trick other people into thinking that you’re feeling great but you can trick yourself into it, too.
We don’t need science to tell us that smiling is the simplest way to express having a good time, but there is definitely something spooky about how contagious it is. Ever envy people who seem to attract others like a magnet? Chances are they’ve got their pearly whites constantly on show.
Like at first sight
The six degrees of separation has shrunk dramatically with the rise of Facebook and online connections. We can shop, read, browse, book and watch anything. So why does making friends in real life make us revert back to feeling awkward in the corner of the sandpit?
Meeting new people can be daunting and, for those of us not interested in online dating, there aren’t many arenas specifically designed for making new friends that aren’t based on a common interest like sci-fi or salsa dancing.
Making friends through friends is a great way to broaden your social repertoire and discover exciting new interests you might never have tried. Falling into the routine of Friday night drinks with the same circle of friends can make the past six months of social gatherings feel like one long evening.
With spring abloom and the weather warming, injecting some change into your social routine will get the feel-good juices flowing and get the momentum building for party season. And you never know – a new friendship might bloom into something much more.
Friends with benefits
Recent research says spreading your social butterfly wings is the secret to a longer life. A study by Brigham Young University in Utah has has shown that being sociable is good for your health, and loneliness is as bad for you as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
With social technologies coming out of our ears and the constant pressure of finding a soul mate, a stable friendship has become undervalued and taken for granted by people too old for arbitrary schoolyard friendships.
Everyone knows what loneliness feels like but, unless you’re wading through the dire waters of depression, you often let it fly under the radar or suck it up in the name of being brave.
Recent research says spreading your social butterfly wings is the secret to a longer life.
Well, suck no more – there is actual scientific evidence that a close-knit circle of friends and an active social life can boost your health.
‘When someone is connected to a group and feels responsibility to other people, that sense of purpose and meaning translates to taking better care of themselves and taking fewer risks,’ says Julianne Holt-Lunstad, a psychologist at Brigham Young University.
Apparently, the impact of personal relationships found a 50 percent better survival rate if those who were studied belonged to a wider social group – be it friends, neighbours, relatives or a happy medley of the above. The results also showed that these relationships could boost a person’s health more than exercise, losing weight or quitting cigarettes and alcohol.
‘We take relationships for granted as humans,’ says Holt-Lunstad. ‘That constant interaction is not only beneficial psychologically but is also directly linked to our physical health.’
Although there was no clear figure on how many relationships are enough to boost a person’s health, people fared better when they rarely felt lonely, were close to a group of friends, had good family contact and had someone they could rely on and confide in. With all these pearls of health, it’s no wonder the Sex and the City ladies keep coming back from the dead.
So, next time your bestie bails on your Saturday night cocktail session, you can tell her it’s not just slack – it very well could be a matter of life and death!
