Interesting article in Scientific American suggesting that the fight-or-flight response to stress is primarily a male phenomenon. Women under stress tend to bond.
When reading this I thought of the book research trip I took to Cal State Fullerton. Why did women there graduate at such higher rates than men? The observation from professors: women bonded. When the professors formed study groups to help the students cope with the new and stressful challenges of college (the students were mostly low-income and minority) the women flocked to them. The men went their own way -- and paid a price.