The common belief is that boys are the ones who benefit from their loving and involved dads the most, and girls thrive from their bond with mothers. But a recent body of research shows that dads have a great effect on their daughters too.

Lina Nielsen, a professor of educational and adolescent psychology at Wake Forest University, suggests that dads may shape their daughters’ mental health and relationships in adulthood. “Scholars have found an intriguing link between the way daughters deal with stress as adults and the kind of relationships they had with their dads during childhood.”

Incredibly, “undergraduate women who did not have good relationships with their fathers had lower than normal cortisol levels.” It’s known that people with low cortisol levels tend to be more sensitive and reactive in stressful situations.

Nielsen believes that women miss out if they neglect the bond they have with their fathers, as many still wrongly believe that “daughters should spend the most time and share the most personal information with their mothers.” Meanwhile, dads should make an effort to build those relationships with their daughters even if they find it easier to relate to their sons instead.

The question remains how daughters and fathers can create a positive and lasting relationship. It always starts at a young age when children are only infants. This is where participating in common activities comes into play.

As daughters grow older, working with dads or vacationing with them can also have a beneficial effect on a relationship, but the positivity towards each other and willingness to connect have to be already part of it. Otherwise, there’s always a danger they can be alienated from each other.