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A Science of Female Friendship, Carol Bruess, PhD
Carol Bruess, PhD What do relationships with our female friends, sisters, family members, colleagues and the neighbor ladies have to do with our physical, psychological, professional, and personal wellbeing? Just about everything—and then some. In this session, relationship social scientist Dr. Carol Bruess will share the intriguing science of female connections. You’ll learn the lesser-known, often-surprising ways women’s relationships play a crucial role in our physical health. You’ll leave with concrete ideas about how you can and should create and sustain rituals of connection with your fellow sisters and sistas—no matter your age or stage of life. Why? Because research shows (spoiler alert): It is the single best predictor of how long you’ll live. Carol J. Bruess has a PhD in relationships communication, currently serves as Scholar-in-Residence for Relationships & Dialogue at St. Bens/St. John’s, and is Professor Emeritus of Communication/Family Studies, University of St. Thomas, MN. For more than three decades she has been a researcher, author, social scientist, and professor, passionate about how humans create healthy relationships and marriages through micro-moments of interaction, ritual, and dialogue. She is particularly interested in the way the digital age and smart phones impact in-depth listening, robust conversations, and human empathy. The author of five books (including “What Happy Women Do”), she has a popular TEDx Talk “Are All Relationships Messy?” Carol is a contributing writer at TED.com, and has given more than 400 TV, podcast, radio and media interviews, including MPR, NPR, CBS, NBC, ABC, The New York Times and PBS. She’s been married for 33 years to CSBSJU’s president, Brian Bruess. They have two adult children, and currently parenting the 99lb Bernedoodle George, a certified therapy dog who is happily serving CSB+SJU students as puppy-in-residence. A life-long artist and creator, Carol was recently appointed by Governor Walz to serve as on the Minnesota State Arts Board.