An exotic holiday with your best girlfriends sounds like a fabulous idea and not that you needed any reason to go on one, but new research has revealed that girls’ holidays are actually key to keeping happy – AND they have a positive impact on our overall health.

According to social-personality psychologist William Chopik, friendships “are a way to derive all the benefits of being in a relationship with someone without the enormity of it.”

He explained that friendships enrich a person’s life and generally makes them happier, adding, “These are relationships of choice. You choose to hang out together because you enjoy each other’s company.”

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Speaking specifically about a girls trip, Dr Chopnik said that such holidays allow you to connect more with your pals.

“You can sit down, look them in the eye, have a true back-and-forth and read each other’s body language. They can see you and your facial expressions. You’re emotionally responding to things and you can pick up on their emotions. You don’t always get that through a phone call.”

Meanwhile, a recent study by Harvard University also found that going away with friends has noticeable health benefits because “social connections like these not only give pleasure, they also influence our long-term health in ways every bit as powerful as adequate sleep, a good diet and not smoking.”