For women, key to self-confidence and healthy mind may be a strong group of friends

Portrait of a happy group of smiling female friends - women laughing and having fun in the park on a sunny day

NEW YORK — Nearly three in five women (58%) feel their female friends make them feel truly empowered.

A recent poll of 2,000 American women asked respondents to describe the different ways their friends empower and support them while also exploring the possible link between self-confidence and beauty. The results find 72 percent of women feel more confident when they feel beautiful.

Some of this confidence may also come as a result of having supportive friends and 61 percent of women say they’ve gotten a call or text check-up from a friend. Other women cited much more meaningful examples of friends who've brought them meals and babysat their kids.

More than one in three add their gal pals have helped them manage their anxiety or depression. More than one in five say a female friend helped them take a risk they were afraid of.

Girl power

Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Amazing Lash Studio, researchers discovered that while being authentic and true to themselves (46%), practicing self-care (44%), and surrounding themselves with people who care about them (42%) makes respondents feel beautiful on the outside, they also act as confidence boosters.

The biggest way women prioritize their self-care is by spending time with friends (43%). Also making the list are different kinds of beauty treatments.

“Our study shows that self-care isn’t only about investing time in yourself and that socialization can be a big part of it,” says Stephanie Hu, Amazing Lash Franchise, LLC CEO, in a statement. “Seven in 10 women agreed that feeling more beautiful makes them feel more confident, and it’s great to see women teaming up to empower each other.”

While nearly half the poll (48%) typically go to their friends for life advice, 44 percent also turn to their friends for beauty advice — more than they turn to websites or blogs (19%) and Instagram (17%) combined.

“It’s not surprising women trust their female friends on how to best take care of themselves,” Hu adds. “When women join forces, they help each other become the best versions of themselves; their daily lives become more enriched, and there’s not a challenge they can’t tackle.”