Despite the romanticized myth of BFF, the hard truth is that most friendships don't last forever. In fact, research suggests that when it comes to friendships, a phenomenon occurs that is somewhat akin to the seven-year itch: Half of our close friendships turn over every seven years.

QUESTION

Dear Irene,

Our best friend has been seeing this guy. She's really into him so she wanted us to spend some time together to get to know him. Unfortunately, both of us really dislike him. We find him arrogant and narcissistic, to...

QUESTION

Dear Irene,

My friend and I are very close and she's recently been under a lot of stress. A family member is dying and she is caring for this person. For about two months, she's been unable to listen to anything...

It's rare that I gush over books but I fell in love with Gail Caldwell's newest book: Let's Take The Long Way Home: A Memoir of Friendship (Random House, 2010). As sleepy as I was reading the last pages in bed, I didn't want the book to end...

Here are seven simple tips to nip a new friendship in the bud or to sabotage an existing one:

1) Do it her way

Abrogate all responsibility for the friendship to your friend. Let your friend do all the planning--including where, when and what. When you do get together, don't...

Deirdre Madden's most recent novel, Molly Fox's Birthday (Picador, 2010), is a beautifully written story that aptly conveys the complexity of a woman's emotional bonds with her family and friends. The story is focused on a single day in the...

Anticipating a milestone anniversary, my husband and I wanted to celebrate and recharge in a grand way. Short on vacation time, we booked a six-day, transatlantic crossing on the legendary Queen Mary 2 (QM2), scheduled to leave Southampton, England on Tuesday morning and find its way back to...

QUESTION

Dear Irene,

After years of friendship, my relationship with a colleague was damaged while both of us were enduring major losses in our lives. I think I managed to keep my issues out of the workplace, but hers caused her to...

QUESTION

Dear Dr. Levine,

My dearest best friend of 35 years died in March. She had Alzheimer's disease, so it had been several years since I was able to have a conversation with her, but I could still visit and see her. Her death has devastated me....

Chelsea Clinton has 3320 friends. Yes, I checked. If you go to Chelsea's Facebook Page and try to friend her, as I did today, you'll get a message that she already has too many friend requests -- so the virtual spigot of undocumented friends has been turned off....

Question:

How do you back away from an unhealthy friendship without hurting someone's feelings?

Answer:

Here are a few tips to help you handle a tricky, and often uncomfortable, situation in a way that minimizes hurt:

• Make sure you really want to back away. Nobody's...

My cell phone alarm rings at 8AM, only seconds before the sveglia (wake-up call) from the front desk. I draw open the heavy red drapes of Room 39 on the third floor of the Hotel Orologio. The morning sun washes the mahogany furniture and yellow brocade walls. It's...

Every cruise has a mix of virgins and veterans but about half of those who sail on Queen Victoria have already cruised on other Cunard ships. Much like fans who follow rock stars, one might call these inveterate travelers "groupies" because of their loyalty to the line.

The hallmarks of...

It's hard to separate my passion for food from my passion for Italy. Each region (there are 20 of them!) offers different traditions and tastes to excite the palate. Now with the prospect of Eataly, an outpost of the world's biggest food and wine market, slated to open...

Florence is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, renowned for its history and culture. So why would any visitor plan an early morning day trip from there to Bologna? An Italian phrase says it best, Ad essere sinceri, è più forte di me. In English: To be...

Dear Lindsay,

Anyone who isn't living under a rock has already heard you were sentenced to 90 days in the LA County Jail for violating your DUI probation. You must be frightened beyond belief. Serving time will be rough on you and on those who love you. But this can...

Have you ever sat down for lunch with a friend who talks non-stop---without giving you the slightest chance to get a word in edgewise? You begin to feel like you turned on a TV set, helplessly trying to interact with a very boring re-run.

Your friend tells you every...

It's not surprising that many tourists' memories of Quebec are gastronomical. I added another one after visiting Vieux-Levis (Old Levis), a city on the southern shore of the St. Lawrence.

A friend at home insisted that my husband and I visit Glacerie a L'Europeenne, an ice cream...

Sure, introverts look mild-mannered, but don't be fooled. They can be as surly as the next guy--at least in their heads. They don't often say these things out loud because they don't feel like getting into it, but certain assumptions made about introverts really get on their nerves--and sometimes they...

QUESTION

Dear Irene,

I'm 45 years old and feel like a 7th grader due to a mutual friend situation. I have been good friends with two neighbors for over 10 years. I introduced them last year and they hit it off great. I was so happy for them because they...