[1] Female-female social networks can provide assistance for childcare, exchange of resources, and protection from predators, other threats, and other group members. [17] "Befriending" may lead to substantial mental and physical health benefits in times of stress. Even in modern Western societies, parents often rely on family members, friends, and babysitters to help care for children. In many mammals, and cross-culturally in humans, females form especially close, stable attachments with other females, often kin. It quickly became clear that, compared to males, females' physical aggression and fear-related behaviors are less intense and more "cerebral"--they are displayed in response to specific circumstances and are less tied to physiological arousal. Their new theories may have profound implications for understanding the differences between how men and women react to stress. [1], According to the Polyvagal theory developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, the "Social Nervous System" is an affiliative neurocircuitry that prompts affiliation, particularly in response to stress. Friedman, H.S., & Silver, R.C. Furthermore, support from another female provides enhanced stress-reducing benefits to women. Shelley E. Taylor is a distinguished professor of psychology at UCLA and one of the country’s leading scientists. Under conditions of threat, they tend to offspring to ensure their survival and affiliate with others for joint protection and comfort. Interpersonal stress is the most common and distressing type of stress for women. Lower variance in reproductive success and higher costs of physical aggression may explain the lower rates of physical aggression among human females compared to males. Among all primates and most mammals, endocrinological and neural processes lead females to nurture infants, including unrelated infants, after being exposed long enough to infant signals. Shelley Elizabeth Taylor (born 1946) is a distinguished professor of psychology at the Susan Fiske and Shelley Taylor. Carter, C.S., Lederhendler, I.I., & Kirkpatrick, B., eds. Allomothers (helpers who are not a child's mother) protect, provision, carry, and care for children. A quick look into the fascinating research of Shelly Taylor, Ph.D of UCLA who has shown us that women and men have very different ways of dealing with stress. However, when women were given a choice to either wait alone or to affiliate with an unfamiliar man before a stressful laboratory challenge, they chose to wait alone. [26] Gossip is one such tactic, functioning to spread information that would damage the reputation of a competitor. Affiliation may also take the form of befriending, namely seeking social contact for one's own protection, the protection of offspring, and the protection of the social group. Shelley Elizabeth Taylor (born 1946) is a distinguished professor of psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles.She received her Ph.D. from Yale University, and was formerly on the faculty at Harvard University. (Eds.) Tend and befriend model. same workplace) than when the friend was from a nonrelevant social environment. The researchers suspect that endorphins--proteins that help alleviate pain--and oxytocin--a female reproductive hormone--may play an important role in establishing this pattern, while factors like learning and socialization help to maintain it. Tend-and-Befriend, Not Fight-or-Flight Shelley E. Taylor, Laura Cousino Klein, Brian P. Lewis, Tara L. Gruenewald, Regan A. R. Gurung, and John A. Updegraff University of California, Los Angeles The human stress response has been characterized, both physiologically and behaviorally, as "fight-or-flight." Skip to main content. (2000) argue that female social groups also provide protection from male aggression. The tend-and-befriend theoretical model was originally developed by Dr. Shelley E. Taylor and her research team at the University of California, Los Angeles and first described in a Tend and Befriend The tend and befriend instinct contrasts with the fight or flight instinct, and was originally outlined by psychologist Shelley Taylor. [15] However, a review of female aggression noted that "The fact that OT [oxytocin] enhances, rather than diminishes, attention to potential threat in the environment casts doubt on the popular ‘tend-and-befriend’ hypothesis which is based on the presumed anxiolytic effect of OT". Instead, tend and Befriend evolves from an evolutionary perspective and asserts that "people, especially women, evolved social means for dealing … One concept we hear about in the investment and financial planning world is a real downer. There are several theories regarding gossip, including social bonding and group cohesion. [9] Breastfeeding in humans, which is associated with maternal oxytocin release, is physiologically calming to both mothers and infants.[1]. With these intriguing possibilities in mind, Taylor and her coworkers plumbed dozens of studies conducted in the last 30 years of species ranging from rats to monkeys to people in diverse cultures. Title: Biobehavioral Responses to Stress in Females: Tend-and-Befriend, not Fight-or-Flight Author: Taylor, Klein, Lewis, Gruenewald, Gurung, and Updegraff Among foraging societies without modern birth control methods, women have high parity, tending to give birth about every four years during their reproductive lifespan. She presented this theory and the accompanying evidence at a November 13, 2003 lecture at the … [11] Non-mother female wolves and wild dogs sometimes begin lactating to nurse the alpha female's pups. [6], Female stress responses that increased offspring survival would have led to higher fitness and thus were more likely to be passed on through natural selection. [21] Although the befriending stress response may be especially activated for women under conditions of resource scarcity,[1] resource scarcity also entails more intense competition for these resources. In this model, ''tend'' refers to: A) becoming physiologically aroused. [10] These cognitive, prosocial processes brought on by cooperative breeding may have led to the emergence of culture and language. [4] Thus, affiliation under stress serves tending needs, including protective responses towards offspring. According to Taylor, who published her "tend and befriend" theory in the July 2000 issue of Psychological Review (Vol. Psychology Today © 2021 Sussex Publishers, LLC, Two Words Stop Toxic Habits and Addiction in Their Tracks, How Baby Boomers Maintain Their Sex Lives, What Goes on Beneath the Surface When Narcissists Get Angry, Four Ways to Improve Your Time Management, Why Some People Don’t Seek Mental Health Services, Analysis Paralysis vs. Studies conducted by Repetti (1989) show that mothers respond to highly stressful workdays by providing more nurturing behaviors towards their children. Since then, the "fight or flight" concept has dominated scientific thinking about responses to stress, illuminating the emotional, cognitive, behavioral and biological processes that mediate and modify this basic pattern. Tending involves nurturant activities designed to protect the self and offspring that promote safety and reduce distress; befriending is the creation and maintenance of social networks that may aid in this process. The presence of friends and allies can help deter malicious gossip, due to an alliance's greater ability to retaliate, compared to a single individual's ability. Instead, Taylor's team found that, during tough times, stressed females spend significantly more time tending to vulnerable offspring than males. C) withdrawing from the stressor and taking care of their own emotional needs. [3] Oxytocin is released in humans in response to a broad array of stressors, especially those that may trigger affiliative needs. Those are ages in which females are at peak reproductive potential and experience the most mating competition. [19] In the United States, for example, this difference is almost 6 years. Group living provides numerous benefits, including protection from predators and cooperation to achieve shared goals and access to resources. [7] In contrast, fathers who experienced stressful workdays were more likely to withdraw from their families or were more interpersonally conflictual that evening at home. So while stress can spark a rampage, a kinder, gentler response to adversity is also in our nature. Both oxytocin and endorphins may also contribute to the second piece of the puzzle--females' tendency to "befriend." The human stress response has been characterized, both physiologically and behaviorally, as "fight-or-flight." It refers to protection of offspring (tending) and seeking out their social group for mutual defense (befriending). Through her work at the University of California, Los Angeles, Taylor proposed a new model for female reactions to stress – the “tend and befriend” model. As mentioned above, befriending can serve to protect women from threats, including harm from other people. In this model, ''tend'' refers to: A) becoming physiologically aroused. And this tendency for females to affiliate with other familiar people increases during times of stress. [1][14], Human and animal studies (reviewed in Taylor et al., 2000) suggest that oxytocin is the neuroendocrine mechanism underlying the female "befriend" stress response. (2007). (2000) propose the tend-and-befriend female stress response as an evolutionary solution to this problem that would have been selected for in natural selection. Tend and Befriend • a theory presented by Shelley Taylor that states that women who experience stress do not necessarily run or fight, but rather turn to friends … B) seeking social support. When asked why he might have lost control, Alexander's friend Michael Smith could offer little explanation, saying, "He was a good man, but pressure, pressure--everybody blows up under pressure.". A world-renowned expert on stress and health, her work on the “tend and befriend” theory is considered to be one of the biggest breakthroughs in understanding stress since the 1930s. In the 1930s, physiologist Walter Cannon proposed that stress triggers two primordial reactions--lashing out or running away. Social contact or support during stressful times leads to lowered sympathetic and neuroendocrine stress responses. My 80-year-old mom took on the challenging journey with meticulous dedication, instead of her habitual resistance. For QAnon Believers Facing Reality, What Happens Now? In evolutionary psychology, tend-and-befriend is theorized as having evolved as the typical female response to stress. 219.The In Focus box on gender differences in responding to stress presents Shelley Taylor's proposal that women ''tend-and-befriend'' in response to stress. Cooperative breeders are group-living animals where infant and juvenile care from non-mother helpers are essential to offspring survival. Indeed, in The Case for Marriage: Why Married People Are Happier, Healthier & Better Off Financially (Doubleday, 2000), Linda J. And females of many species form tight, stable alliances, possibly reflecting an adaptive tendency to seek out friends for support in times of stress. Tend-and-befriend is a behavior exhibited by some animals, including humans, in response to threat. Tend and Befriend: Biobehavioral Bases of Affiliation Under Stress - Shelley E. Taylor, 2006. Wake, Ph.D., a sociology professor at the University of Chicago, and co-author Maggie Gallagher, assert that one major benefit of marriage is having someone to talk to during periods of stress. But Taylor's research supports a new and compelling case that stress elicits prosocial behavior, especially in females, and that this dynamic is deeply rooted in the evolution of social mammals. A world-renowned expert on stress and health, Taylor is the author of more than 200 scientific papers. The tend and befriend theory proposed by Shelley Taylor, speaks best to the coping technique used by: Women This stressor would be classified as a bioecological influence. Drawing on previous animal and human research, UCLA psychology professor Shelley Taylor and colleagues first coined the “tend-and-befriend” concept in a … The “tend and befriend” theory builds on the observation that human beings affiliate in response to stress. “The dominant metaphor, ‘fight or flight,’ represents the threatening social landscape as a solitary kill-or-be-killed world,” notes psychologist Shelley Taylor, PhD, in her book The Tending Instinct: Women, Men and the Biology of Our Relationships (Henry Holt and Company, 2002). [1] During threatening situations, group members can be a source of support and protection for women and their children. But when researcher Shelley Taylor, ... PhD, suspect that the tend and befriend behavior in women, particularly as it pertains to social connections, may explain why women outlive men. They reasoned that the adaptive value of fighting or fleeing may be lower for females, who often have dependent young and so risk more in terms of reproductive success if injured or dislocated. social exclusion, gossip, rumors, denigration). Such threats are not limited to physical harm but also include reputational damage. Therefore, they have less to gain from fighting and the risk of injury or death would produce greater fitness cost for females. Socioemotional Resources/Positive Illusions Socioemotional resources, including optimism, mastery, self-esteem, and social support, have biological and psychological benefits, especially in times of stress. (1999). Fueled by the observation that stress studies conducted in the past rarely involved females, Taylor's team wondered if women and men might respond to stress differently. Although social support downregulates these physiological stress responses in both men and women, women are more likely to seek social contact during stress. Evolutionary thinking about gender differences may seem to imply that behavior is a simple matter of genes, or it may even justify stereotyping of the two sexes, but according to Taylor and her colleagues, life is much more interesting than that; our biological heritage is not destiny but rather a force that "influences and interacts with social, cultural, cognitive and emotional factors." Research by psychologist Tiffany Field, anthropologist Jay Kaplan and others shows that tending young and affiliating with friends dramatically reduces stress in humans and other animals, resulting in improved immune function, mood and a host of other rewards. [25] In contrast, resource competition did not increase direct aggression in either men or women when they were asked to imagine themselves married and with a young child[citation needed]. Tend and Befriend In threatening times, people seek positive social relationships, because such contacts provide protection to maintain one’s own safety and that of one’s offspring. UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) is the largest UC campus in terms of enrollment, and one of the few public research universities located in a major city. shelley taylor Tend and Befriend. (2005). In environments with a female-biased sex ratio, where males are a more limited resource, female-to-female competition for mates is intensified, sometimes even resorting to violence. Rates of aggression between human males and females may not differ, but the patterns of aggression between the sexes do differ. Women form friendships and alliances in part to compete for limited resources, and also in part to protect themselves from relational and reputational harm. This model contrasts with the "fight-or-flight response" which states that in the face of a harmful stressor, we either face it or run from it. [11] Humans have spent most of human evolution as hunter-gatherer foragers. In the Psychological Review, the researchers describe how stress can elicit another behavioral pattern they call "tend and befriend"--especially in females. When faced with stress, females often respond by tending to offspring, which in turn reduces stress levels. A biological basis for this regulation appears to be oxytocin. Research shows that women are more likely to seek the company of others in times of stress, compared to men. [5], Women are more likely to respond to stress through tending and befriending than men. In addition to fight-or-flight, humans demonstrate tending and befriending responses to stress—responses underpinned by the hormone oxytocin, by opioids, and … The Tend And Befriend Response “The dominant metaphor, ‘fight or flight,’ represents the threatening social landscape as a solitary kill-or-be-killed world.” — Shelley Taylor, PhD, 2002. 3), this pattern of behavior makes for a significant contrast to the "fight or flight" paradigm that has dominated stress response theory for the last 50 years. This is the idea that evolutionary bias may force us into unwise decisions. [2] This system is described as regulating social approach behavior. Studies by Hess and Hagen (2009) show that the presence of a competitor's friend reduced people's tendencies to gossip about the competitor. Cross-culturally, women and girls tend to provide more frequent and effective support than men do, and they are more likely to seek help and support from other female friends and family members. Taylor's team concludes that befriending is "the primary gender difference in adult human behavioral responses to stress.". C) withdrawing from the stressor and taking care of their own emotional needs. Such a reproductive strategy would not have been able to evolve if women did not have help from others. The survival of young children depended more on maternal than paternal care, which underscores the importance of maternal safety, survival, and risk aversion. Throughout her career, Taylor has enjoyed pulling together the strands of her research into broad theories that she can then test in her lab. Informational warfare is the strategic competitive tactics taking the form of indirect, verbal aggression directed towards rivals. Studies of ewes show that administration of oxytocin promoted maternal behavior. The costs of physical injury to a parent would also entail costs to his or her family. [3], Oxytocin has been tied to a broad array of social relationships and activities, including peer bonding, sexual activity, and affiliative preferences. Women have higher life expectancies from birth in most countries where there is equal access to medical care. This theory is based in evolutionary psychology, a field which has generated significant criticism for its promotion of gender determinism.[27][28]. [23] When experimentally primed with a mating motive or status competition motive, men were more willing to become directly aggressive towards another man, whereas women were more likely to indirectly aggress against another woman in an aggression-provoking situation. Burkart, Hrdy, and Van Schaik (2009) argue that cooperative breeding in humans may have led to the evolution of psychological adaptations for greater prosociality, enhanced social cognition, and cognitive abilities for cooperative purposes, including willingness to share mental states and shared intentionality. 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