Women feel more "interpersonal guilt" than men. Here's how that's impacting our female friendships. episode artwork

EPISODE · Jun 27, 2025 · 23 MIN

Women feel more "interpersonal guilt" than men. Here's how that's impacting our female friendships.

from Friend Forward

If you had one week where you couldn't experience guilt, how would that change your friendships? Would you end relationships? Would you set boundaries? Would you ask for help? Would you pull away from your family to spend more time with friends without feeling bad about it?These questions were sparked by the book I'm reading, "The Guilt Pill" by Saumya Dave. In it, the main character, Maya, takes a new pill that numbs the part of her brain that feels guilt and... well, it's quite a ride.So I read four studies about women's guilt and in this episode I'll unpack what I discovered. Then we'll look at ways that our perpetual "interpersonal guilt" shapes the decisions we make in our friendships... and the surprising dangers and benefits that come of it.Here are the 4 studies we review in the episode:https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9373443/https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/80-women-recognize-value-self-nurture-yet-few-care-selves-they-care-othershttps://bpspsychub.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/bjso.12575https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/spanish-journal-of-psychology/article/abs/intensity-of-habitual-guilt-in-men-and-women-differences-in-interpersonal-sensitivity-and-the-tendency-towards-anxiousaggressive-guilt/8646A546F01B6ABF51C9C6F1EF0620A1----------Want to hear the extended episode?Become a member of "Office Hours" for full episodes, BONUS episodes, resources, book clubs, and more. See you at betterfemalefriendships.com/podcast

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Women feel more "interpersonal guilt" than men. Here's how that's impacting our female friendships.

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