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"...a female's goal -- whether she is human or nonhuman -- "is to protect her young, and in order to do that, you have to form a large group of friends or a network in order to protect yourself," says Klein. "Or you have to quiet or calm your young down so they won't make noise and attract attention. She might have a fight-or-flight response under certain conditions, but that would not be her primary response."

Laura Cousino Klein, PhD

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"The hormone oxytocin is released during childbirth and breast-feeding. It helps the uterus contract during labor and after delivery, and it helps the woman breast-feed her baby. It has also been found to be a mood regulator, Studies show that oxytocin decreases anxiety and depression, and promotes an affiliation or friend-seeking response in females, says Klein. While both men and women produce oxytocin, women seem to produce more.

Here's how it works in the stress response, according to Klein: When a woman is stressed, she gets a quick surge of the stress hormones epinephrine, norepinephrine, and cortisol -- then the oxytocin. The female hormone estrogen seems to give oxytocin a boost, setting in motion the tend-or-befriend response. It's primarily the testosterone in men that triggers the fight-or-flight response. Other hormones like adrenalin are also involved."

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For myself I can say that if I ranked all the people I have ever known the worse 6 to 10 of them would be SRF nuns. Many of them are the most selfish, self-centered, cruel, heartless and power hungry people I have ever known.

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