Never underestimate the power of a chat with your closest friends. Research shows such bonding increases levels of progesterone—a feel good hormone that begins to wane in women’s bodies after menopause.

The higher the progesterone levels, the more you’ll feel like bonding with others, says University of Michigan researcher Stephanie Brown, PhD. These good feelings also reduce stress and anxiety.

“People in close relationships are happier, healthier, and live longer than those who are socially isolated," Dr. Brown says. According to Dr. Brown, the research findings are consistent with the altruism theory, which argues that hormones affect whether we can build the type of social bonds that help us suppress our own self-interest in order to engage with and help others.

These types of social interactions help us derive meaning from caring for others when we also take care of ourselves, a positive health benefit documented more than 20 years ago in research. So the next time you’re starting to feel stressed, pick up the phone and call a friend. You may just find yourself hanging up on those heavy feelings after a good chat.