Is Too Much Girl Talk too Much of a Good Thing?

Did you ever wonder why your teen-aged daughter seemed even more morose and upset after a long chat with her girlfriends? Well, this study may provide the answer, she could be co-ruminating:br /br /a href=”http://www.proteinwisdom.com/”Dan Collins at Protein Wisdom/a emailed me this a href=”http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-07/uom-gwc071307.php”very interesting study that found/a that girls who complain about their problems were at greater risk of developing anxiety and depression:br /br /blockquote A researcher at the University of Missouri-Columbia has found that girls who talk very extensively about their problems with friends are likely to become more anxious and depressed.br /br /The research was conducted by Amanda Rose, associate professor of psychological sciences in the College of Arts and Science. The six-month study, which included boys and girls, examined the effects of co-rumination – excessively talking with friends about problems and concerns. Rose discovered that girls co-ruminate more than boys, especially in adolescence, and that girls who co-ruminated the most in the fall of the school year were most likely to be more depressed and anxious by the spring….br /br / “For years, we have encouraged kids to find friends who they can talk to about their problems, and with whom they can give and receive social support,” Rose said. “In general, talking about problems and getting social support is linked with being healthy. What’s intriguing about these findings is that co-rumination likely represents too much of a good thing. Some kids, especially girls, are taking talking about problems to an extreme. When that happens, the balance tips, and talking about problems with friends can become emotionally unhealthy.”br /br /Rose said adolescents should be encouraged to talk about their problems, but only in moderation and without co-ruminating. /blockquotebr /br /I wonder if this over-talking and resulting anxiety and depression extends to adult women?br /br /Update: John Ford at the California Medicine Man a href=”http://califmedicineman.blogspot.com/2007/07/hazards-of-talking-about-your-problems.html”weighs in on the study./a