After subjects were agitated and stressed – with a rise in blood pressure, cortisol levels and heart rates – they were asked to do one of three things: think about people they cared about and why they loved them, write a letter to a person expressing affection for them, or just sit quietly. The group that showed the biggest decrease in their physical responses to stress was the one that wrote the letters. That led Dr. Floyd to conclude that it's all about the expression of affection, not even whether it's actually received, that releases all the feel-good factors. In addition, those that sat quietly actually had slight increases in stress levels – which means that it takes more than a break from a stressful situation to cool off.

Dr. Floyd sums it all up, “Being affectionate is good for you. Affection can be a simple, non-pharmaceutical, cheap way to reduce stress.” Now that she's aware of that, Girlawhirl has a new MO: leaving friendly voicemail messages and shooting off short notes to friends, family and colleagues when she's feeling a little bit stressed.