i can't imagine something wrong in settings but you never know. . .
maybe your left-clicker doesn't work? chech that out.
if that's no the case, run a comprehensive system scan with Norton or whatever you use to keep your sys tidy.
IF ANYTHING, open Safari, click the left-most safari tab on top of screen by that apple, , , , and click an option titled "Reset Safari" or something. That should help if the problem is purely Safari related. If that doesn't work, do that sys scan.
P.S. resetting safari you basically dump everything except favorite websites. Make sure you don't lose anything valulable as safari reverts to its original state.