Recently I have really appreciated how great it is to have sisters. There really is nothing out there that can replace the bond, memories and the feeling of ‘home’ you get with a sister —

Why Sisterly Chats Make People Happier

Having a Sister Makes You Happier”: that was the headline on a recent article about a study finding that adolescents who have a sister are less likely to report such feelings as “I am unhappy, sad or depressed” and “I feel like no one loves me.”

These findings are no fluke; other studies have come to similar conclusions. But why would having a sister make you happier?

The usual answer — that girls and women are more likely than boys and men to talk about emotions — is somehow unsatisfying, especially to a researcher like me. Much of my work over the years has developed the premise that women’s styles of friendship and conversation aren’t inherently better than men’s, simply different.

I have mentioned this before this this post: Having a Sister Makes you a Kinder Person