"Oddly, I Am a Naturally Sunny, Optimistic Person Who Has Also Struggled with Depression."

Happiness interview: Maia Szalavitz.

I recently made a new friend, Maia Szalavitz, and I was thrilled when I got my hands on her new book (with co-author Bruce Perry), Born for Love: Why Empathy Is Essential--and Endangered. Empathy, and the ties that bind people into relationships, are key elementsof happiness.

The book has many fascinating sections. For example, I was struck by this passage:

Throughout life, we need social contact to regulate our response to distress. Of course, exercise...