We argued about it time and again. Eventually, I reassured him that he was enough. My one, my only, and now—my ex. But science supports my intuition. Researchers concluded long ago that individuals with a strong support network of friends live longer and recover from illness quicker than those who go it alone. Recently, the implications of these findings became even more interesting.

Last fall, psychologists at the University of Utah and the University of Chicago published studies indicating that the emotional energy exchanged in our closest interpersonal relationships directly impacts our cardiovascular and neuroendocrine activity. In other words, a reassuring conversation can lower blood pressure, whereas a heated confrontation can raise it. That's right: stressful relationships are actually bad for your health. Conversely, positive friendships are good for it. Factor in what social psychologists refer to as the "matching hypothesis" (the tendency to pursue relationships with individuals you perceive to be equally attractive as yourself) and you might conclude that snaring a new friend can validate, or even boost, selfesteem. Ergo, girl crushes are good for you.

And that is why, when my best friend was working abroad, she modeled three outfits for her roommates before deciding which one to wear to greet me at the train station. (They thought she was insane.) And that is why I can't stop thinking about the woman I met at that party. She's not only charming and thoughtful and stylish and talented, but she has a puggle (I really want one), owns her apartment (ditto), and knows a nice guy who would be just right for me (hooray). Would it be too forward to invite her to dinner?