Did you know that female friendships could help you live longer? If not, consider these results of research conducted at Rush University Medical Center and published in Science Daily in 2011...
![Engaged? 5 Rules For Keeping Your Friendships Intact [EXPERT]](http://images.tangomag.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/node-full/image_blog/single_friends.jpg "Engaged? 5 Rules For Keeping Your Friendships Intact [EXPERT]")
As you transition from being single to married, your friendships will have to transition as well. This transition can be a major alteration of your relationship or a minor change. But, it is always important to keep a strong bond with your single friends, especially when planning your wedding. Here are five tips on keeping good relationships with your single friends as you plan your big day.
Sometimes it's not easy to stay in touch with friends and distant family members, but there's every reason in the world to do it. Not only do tight friendships and strong family offer an emotional connection, research shows when we have close ties, especially with upbeat buddies, we're more likely to take better care of ourselves, feel less stressed – even live longer.
Author Phil Dotree argues that male-female friendships can be completely platonic and that instead of being jealous, women should support and encourage their boyfriends' female friendships.
In general, I'm not really a jealous person; in fact, a recurring fantasy is to watch whomever I'm seeing with another woman (I haven't done that yet—I like keeping it in the fantasy realm). But maybe I'm more jealous than I'd like to think, because it's taken meeting several of his friends for me to assess them individually, to get to know them, before I feel totally comfortable. Some of them ask him for back rubs, and the first time I saw him take his hands to another girl's muscles, I can't lie: it bothered me.
So the day of reckoning has arrived. For the past month, your friends have been clamoring to meet your new guy, but alas, the how-do-you-do's were largely anticlimactic. Are your friends unsupportive? Was everyone in a bad mood? Or was your boyfriend just not that impressive? Everyone knows that love is blind, and no matter how confident we are in our choices, sometimes our friends are just better at analyzing our partners than we are. Here are things your friends might have observed about your guy that escaped your notice:
No matter what lovestage you're in, a girl crush is a way to satisfy your craving for infatuation and remind yourself of your best qualities. YourTango explores the intense platonic feelings of admiration, inspiration or just plain excitement another woman can inspire. "Lately, it seems like everyone has one. Hardly a tabloid goes by without announcing Lindsay Lohan's new best friend or Britney Spears's latest source of emotional support. What's more, you don't have to attend boarding school or emulate Cynthia Nixon to play this game. A girl crush is strictly platonic, an admission that a head over-heels tumble can just as easily be set off by a budding friendship as by an office flirtation—no strings (or kissing) attached. Best of all, girl crushes need never stop. Whether you're single or taken, a girl crush is a way to satisfy your craving for infatuation and remind yourself of your best qualities. Unless you have some seriously possessive women in your life, there's always room for a few more friends."
