While on A recent vacation with her family, my 12-year-old granddaughter, Sydney, sent me a picture with Paris Hilton, her new BFF.

The next time I saw Syd, I asked her about the picture.

She told me she was shopping in a boutique with her mom, Stacy, when suddenly they closed the doors to the store so Paris Hilton could come in and shop.

There they were, with only the storekeeper and Paris Hilton, so of course they did what most of us would do — they took a picture.

Syd said the first picture her mom took wasn't very good, so Paris offered a "do over."

Syd said Paris is even prettier in person and that she's very personable.

She didn't mind having her picture taken, even though she was in a hurry (she told the shopkeeper that she would come back to purchase her selections).

So where did the public get the impression that Paris Hilton is selfish?

From the gossip magazines, of course.

And why do we know — or care — about Jennifer Aniston or Brangelina?

According to Dr. Charlotte De Backer, an evolutionary psychologist who wrote about celebrity gossip in her doctoral thesis, gossiping releases endorphins in our brain, so it makes us feel good.

Since we feel guilty dishing about our friends, we can safely gossip about celebrities without repercussions from those closely connected to us.

As a young girl, I remember poring over movie-star magazines when I could.

When I got older I read People whenever I visited the doctor. It is nice to keep current — right?

Not so fast.

"It may be especially dangerous for young people, who view celebrities as role models," says physician Drew Pinsky and social scientist S. Mark Young, who co-authored "The Mirror Effect: How Celebrity Narcissim Is Seducing America."

Pinsky, who has worked with celebrities for many years, told USA Today's Sharon Jayson that he has found celebrities often have profound childhood trauma that possibly leads to narcissism and possibly dysfunction.

When asked why it's harmful to focus on celebrities, he gave a very strong reply.

He said, "We should be concerned. It's anathema to what's healthy for humans — interpersonal experiences and being of service — as opposed to preoccupying oneself with extreme, chaotic, dysfunctional behavior and modeling those behaviors and wishing to be part of that and never experiencing a stable family life and not being able to trust other people or themselves."