by Dr. Paul Dobransky with L.A. Stamford

Cover Image Psychiatrist Paul Dobransky, author of The Secret Psychology of How We Fall in Love, once again looks to the brain, this time to examine the full range of female friendships. A recent study has shown that women have fewer friends than they used to. In the years after college and before children (and even after that), many women find that they have fewer friends, and new ones are harder to make. Taking his three-parts-of-the-brain theory, Dr. Dobransky breaks down the primal codes of friendship that many women aren’t even aware of and gives scientifically grounded advice for understanding how to be a better friend and how to cultivate new friendships. Women of all ages who are searching for deeper relationships or are trying to break free of a toxic friendship will find help and hope in this enlightening and prescriptive exploration of how the brain makes friends.

A June 2006 scientific study shows that for most people, their circle of confidantes is on average about one person smaller now than it was 20 years ago. The percentage of people who say they have no one to confide in has now reached about 25%. This is alarming news for women, whose well-being is tied so intimately to belonging and connection to others. In fact, if this trend continues, it will lead to nothing less than a crisis in interpersonal relations. The Power of Female Friendship: How Your Circle of Friends Shapes Your Life will explain why this statistic is growing and—more importantly—what women can do about it. It will offer simple and elegant skills and secrets on how women can expand, enrich, and troubleshoot any type of friendship they share now or seek in the future.