friendship

Cathy Gildiner knew something was terribly wrong when one of her high school friends stopped posting on Facebook.

Shockingly, a lack of social bonds and loneliness has the same negative impact on overall health and longevity as smoking and alcoholism.

And I've decided to narrow them down to my travel highlights of the year: Paris, Huizhou, London, Mexico City, Turks & Caicos.

A recent story over at Time.com — "Girl, You are So Not Fat! Does 'Fat Talk' Make Anyone Feel Better?" by Meredith Melnick — explores the idea of "fat talk," the "Oh god, these jeans make my thighs look huge" variety of lady exchange that happens everywhere from H&M dressing rooms to 3am cab rides. Apparently, a new study has found that this kind of talk makes women feel worse, not better.

Sally Horchow, author of The Art of Friendship, explains the impact of social networking on real friendship, and how to make genuine new connections (even with your parents).